Hosts
by Meushell
Summary: During an attack by the Goa'uld, several Tok'ra hosts recollect how they became Tok'ra. Sam/Martouf/Lantash, Malek/Aldwin
1. New Things

_Title_: Hosts  
_Author_: Meushell  
_Disclaimer_: Stargate owns what they own, (even if they are trigger happy with the Tok'ra) and I own what I own.  
_Summary_: During an attack by the Goa'uld, several Tok'ra hosts recollect how they became Tok'ra.  
_Rating_: PG-13  
_Parings_: Sam/Martouf/Lantash, Malek/Aldwin  
_Sequel to_: The Question, The Enemy. Sam and Martouf/Lantash married in The Question. The Enemy will mostly be summed up in part 1.  
_Note_: All time reference (dates, years, months) are in Earth time. Martouf's story will be left out since I already gave him his own fan fiction for that. He'll be telling Rosha's story. Storytelling will start with part 3.

Part 1, New Things

In the tunnels, Sam was looking down at the larva, Iasis, who was squealing at her. She looked over to Martouf. "Mark can wait."

Martouf smiled. "How long do you plan to make your brother wait?"

"Until Iasis grows up."

Iasis gave a victory squeal.

Martouf shook his head. "No." He chuckled when Iasis gave him a loud negative chirp. He knelt down by the symbiote. "It's important for Sam to keep in touch with her brother, and we cannot take you with us."

"Why not?" Iasis complained.

"You are too important for him to know about."

"But I his niece." In the back of her mind, Iasis knew her dad was right. She had the memories that told her how important it was to keep important things like herself a secret. She had the memories to tell her what bad things could happen to her if she was captured. However, those memories weren't hers. They were the faded memories of the queen she happened to be cloned from. Iasis was guided by her emotions, and her emotions told her that she did not want to be seperated the ones she had chosen as her parents.

Lantash took over. "Aldwin and Malek will take care of you." He looked back as he felt and heard a Tok'ra approach. "Here they are."

"Unfortunately, not with good news." Malek's expression matched his serious tone. "Three others have disappeared, and now the high council has ordered everyone to stay here." He looked to Sam. "Your friends have come, but I do not think they have yet heard the news."

Sam frowned in worry. "I...I better tell them." She took a few steps before looking back to Malek. "Are they allowed to leave?" She hoped they could. Jack would not be happy if he was told otherwise.

"They are, but..."

"I know. I can't."

Lantash followed, wondering which of her friends had come.

_Daniel, Teal'c..._ Martouf thought. _Maybe Jack._

It didn't take long for the answer. _All three. Anise has greeted them_. Lantash thought as he watched the woman glance over to them before quickly leaving.

Jack was happy to see Sam, but he was annoyed by what he heard. "Anise says you can't leave."

"Yes, Malek just told me."

"Does this have to do with Kela'an?"

Sam felt Kela'an's annoyance. "No." A month ago she had been captured by the thought-to-be-dead Cordesh. He had been in hiding, posing as another Tok'ra. Wanting his own power, he used Egeria's DNA to create Iasis. Sam was to keep her company while he was away. From this, Sam also learned she was pregnant, as she and Martouf had been less than careful. She escaped with Iasis, but was burned in the process. Blending with Kela'an was the only way to make a full recovery.

"We have been having trouble since Cordesh's escaped," Lantash added.

"Right," Jack replied, remembering they moved. "That's why you guys switched bases."

Sam answered, "After two outposts were attacked, the Tok'ra moved their base and every outpost-"

"Their?" Lantash questioned, smiling a bit.

Sam glanced to him. "...Our..."

Lantash touched her back as he looked to the others. "No one survived those attacks." He watched Jack's expression change from annoyed to worried. "Now operatives are disappearing."

Daniel frowned in concern. "How many were on those outposts?"

"A hundred and fifty-six in total."

"That's... Sorry." Daniel didn't know how else to respond to that.

"Now twelves of our operatives have disappeared as well," Lantash replied before bitterly adding, "and we all know the reason for it. Cordesh."

"Why have you not called away those in danger?" Teal'c asked.

"Communication is not immediate for everyone," Lantash replied, "and even when they receive the order most are not be in a situation where they can easily leave."

_You sound annoyed. Give me control._ Martouf smiled a little when given control. While it wasn't the best situation, it made him relax after feeling Lantash's anger. "The longer you are on a mission, the harder it is to disappear." He touched Sam's arm. "You remember when I was undercover for four years. It took me one and a half months to be able to leave safely."

Sam certainly remembered those four years. It was while they were mere friends, but she was annoyed at their disappearance. The Tok'ra wouldn't say why, which told her the reason. Martouf and Lantash never spoke about it afterwards, and they changed the subject when asked.

"So you can't really be sure when someone has disappeared," Daniel was frowning. "You're just guessing based on when they should return."

Martouf glanced down. "Yes. If they cannot leave right away, they should be able to tell us. If they have not returned within the right time and have not given a message to us, then they are declared missing. If enough time passes without hearing from them, they will be considered fallen."

"Fallen." There was something of a questioning tone in Jack's response.

"Dead. With few exceptions, a Tok'ra is only declared dead if there is a body."

"They could be captured," Jack replied.

"As you know, a Tok'ra must kill him or herself-"

"Martouf," Jack interrupted. "_You've_ been captured...more than once. You're still alive."

Martouf became uneasy. He made a slight noise of annoyance, not knowing how to respond to that.

Sam felt bad for him. "Sir..." She paused and smiled. Jack was no longer her commander. "Jack-" It didn't feel right to use his name in this situation. "-missing doesn't mean abandoned." She knew he had personal reason for his "leave no man behind" policy, and it bothered him that the Tok'ra were willing to do that if they deemed it necessary. She didn't like that aspect of the Tok'ra either.

_They do what must be done_, Kela'an thought. _There is no need to worry. You and I are not likely to be sent out on dangerous mission. Aside from the fact that you are too well known, it is our primary duty to take care of Iasis._

"This situation is making the high council uneasy, and that's why I can't leave," Sam finished. "They don't want me to disappear."

"We'll keep you company then," Jack replied.

Sam nodded, starting to feel tired. "I think I'm going to sit down." She noticed Martouf look to her in worry. He seemed to always be worrying over her now. "I should write Mark a letter. It'd be better than just giving a message."

Jack watched in amusement as Martouf was overly helpful with Sam. He remembered being the same way with Sarah. He glanced over to Teal'c, wondering if he had acted the same...in his own Jaffa way of course. "How's Ry'ac?"

The question seemed random to anyone else. Teal'c's expression changed to pride. "He is proving to be a strong warrior."

Daniel sat at the table with Sam. "Where's your dad?"

"He's around." Sam hadn't seen much of her father these last few days, but she knew he was somewhere on the base. She looked up as Martouf gave her paper and pens. "Thank you."

Daniel picked up one of the pens. "Earth pens."

"Yeah, I brought them with me. I figure when they dry up, I'll just give them to you."

Daniel smiled as he decided not to disturb her while she wrote. "Jack, I'm going to go visit Iasis."

"All right."

Daniel left the room and followed down to where Iasis should be. Her room was attached to her parents' room. Before Sam became a Tok'ra, it had simply been Martouf's room. He wasn't sure he was going the right way until he heard squealing. He found Malek and Aldwin putting fish into the water. "I guess I should have brought some goldfish."

"She would like those," Aldwin replied, remembering seeing goldfish on Earth once.

"How long does she play with them?" Daniel asked as he watched the larva chase fish around her shallow pool.

"Until they die," Malek answered.

"Then she eats them?"

Iasis protested, stopping her swimming to make a loud chirp at Daniel.

Aldwin smiled. "If she has swam with them, they are her pets. She will not eat her pets."

"What do you do with them?" Daniel watched as Iasis continued swimming.

Aldwin's host, Gete, took over to whisper, "We eat them."

"I'm guessing she doesn't know," Daniel whispered in reply. He thought of the few pets he had over his life. He wouldn't be happy if someone else ate them.

"She doesn't ask."

"You don't try to feed her her own pets do you?"

"No. Delek tried that. She refuses to see him now."

Daniel found himself wishing he had seen that.

"Anise has missed you," Malek said suddenly as he looked to Daniel. "Have you seen her?"

"Briefly. She didn't say much. How is she doing?"

"She misses Drack, and she often avoids Kela'an." He frowned before putting an arm around Gete's waist, as if there was a danger of Gete suddenly disappearing on him. "When one mate dies and the other reblends... It is, of course, good that they survived, but it is painful to see them in what feels like the wrong host. It will take time for her and Freya."

Daniel gave a nod before looking to the pool. He realized he hadn't given a proper greeting yet. "Hello Iasis." He looked to Malek when she squealed back.

"She says hello."

Daniel nodded.

"She's a little distracted right now," Malek added. He turned and moved back down the hallway Daniel came from. "You should spend time with Samantha while you can."

"She's writing a letter." Daniel followed.

"Well, you can visit me," he added before turning to the other Tok'ra. "Gete, will you take care of the containers?"

Gete looked a little confused. "Yes."

Daniel frowned as he followed. "Uh, is there something wrong?"

"No, why?" Malek stopped outside another hallway and turned towards him.

"You've never wanted a visit from me before."

"I have greeted SG-1."

"Because you were good friends with Sam. You never had an interest in me."

Malek gave a smile that Daniel rarely saw from him, looking guilty. "I was wondering if I may ask you a personal question."

"Yes?"

"How did you propose to your wife?"

"Oh, well...I didn't. She was given to me." Daniel watched Malek's eyebrows crease. "I didn't know it at the time. We worked it out." Daniel smiled in memory. "You've never proposed?"

"I was always proposed to."

"How many times have you been married?"

"Three times."

"And Amb?"

Malek touched his own arm lightly as he offered control.

_You can answer him_, Amb thought.

"His society didn't have a form of marriage. Males and females lived separately. Since becoming a Tok'ra, he's not have a serious relationship...not until Aldwin and Gete."

"Well, look at your relationships. I'm sure those Tok'ra were nervous in proposing to you. You said yes."

"In the past, when a relationship between Gete and another turned serious, something disrupted the relationship. I worry his history will make him say no."

"He wanted this relationship before you did. Wouldn't that indicate he's willing to take the risk?"

"Maybe."

Daniel was quiet for a moment, but he was curious. "Why are you asking me and not...say Martouf."

"Secrets are hard to keep within the Tok'ra. You are not Tok'ra." He shook his head and turned away. "I haven't even asked the high council for a proposal crystal. I'm worried one of them would say something and Aldwin would find out..." He looked back to Daniel. "I cannot have them finding out from someone else. I haven't even gotten a ribbon yet."

Daniel admired the trust put into him, and it was the first time Malek had actually done anything to show a possible friendship between them. "Ribbon? Right, you keep that after the crystal is used to make your first room together."

"Your version of the wedding ring," Malek added. "I still have the ribbons from my previous marriages. Symbols of my loved ones."

Daniel gave a nod, thinking of the issue. "All right, well, put it this way, do you want to spend the rest of...however long Gete and Amb would live, with them just as your boyfriends?"

"No."

"Then you need to talk to them."

Malek sighed before nodding. "You are correct."

Daniel smiled. "Uh, you know my job, so I have to ask...how did Amb's people, well, have kids?"

"Adults met at a special place to have sex."

_Now he wants to study my people_, Amb thought as he recognized the same look he saw in Anise many times.

"You'd have a hard time meeting the people," Malek added, "at least while Teal'c is on your team. If any Jaffa come through the stargate, they run away. The Goa'uld still control that planet."

By his tone, Daniel knew it was a warning that the planet could get dangerous. "Well, let's see Sam." Maybe we can ask more questions later.

She was found working on her letter while talking to Jack and Teal'c. She looked back when Daniel arrived. "How's my daughter?"

"Chasing fish."

Sam smiled before looking back to her letter.

"Do you get to take a lot of uh...larva pictures?" Jack asked.

"Enough, but all the pictures are given to the high council. They hide them away, and I can't access them without permission."

"That's how most images are treated," Martouf said. "Lantash cannot access his own without permission. That's why I always treasure the printed ones that Samantha has given me."

"That's-" Jack stopped when he saw Jacob approaching and called out. "Jacob!"

"Jack." Jacob wasn't much in the mood for greeting. He looked to his daughter and Martouf. "We're evacuating. The Goa'uld attacked the Euhen outpost. Now we've picked up Goa'uld ships heading over here."

"What?" Lantash suddenly took over suddenly. "Cordesh cannot possibly know about Euhen or this base."

"Well, someone did, and we have to move."

To be continued...


	2. Moving

(Ironyheartsap, thanks for the review. Sorry that a sequel took so long. I had various ideas, but I had trouble forming a story from them. This story is started from two separate ideas, the backlash of Cordesh escaping and stories of how the hosts became hosts.

Roeskva, thanks. Glad you didn't lose interest while waiting. You can read my reply to Ironyheartsap for why it took so long. :) I hope you both enjoy.

Dinopoodle, yeah, Mark is sort of the forgotten Carter. Don't think he's going to find out about Iasis though, at least not in this story. Thanks for the review.

MuseUrania,thank you. I hope you continue to find it interesting.

Ktebid, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story as much as you enjoyed part 1. Thank you.)

Part 2, Moving

"You know your orders," Jacob continued before handing a some crystals to Lantash. "Horan." He looked to Jack as Sam and Martouf left. "You helping us?"

"Yeah, sure." Jack followed Jacob. "Where are they going?"

"Their job is to keep Iasis safe. They'll take her to the new base and guard her." Jacob arrived at storage and pointed to large containers. "Brings these up to the surface. Malek, establish a connection to Horan." As Malek left, he turned to Teal'c. "Teal'c." He gestured towards Malek.

Teal'c left, realizing that Jacob was worried about an attack through the stargate. They would have to ensure it was safe before Sam and Martouf came up with Iasis.

Meanwhile, the Tok'ra were already running around, knowing what needed to be done. Sam put a bag over her shoulder before leaving to get Iasis. Lantash grabbed supplies, including a small tank and weapons. "Malek will get our things," he called out to the next room.

"Iasis, come here." Sam held her hand out.

Lantash entered the room she picked Iasis up. "Do you want me to hold her?"

"I'm fine."

"What if you get dizzy or sick?"

"Lantash, I'm not going to drop our kid." Her voice was filled with irritation.

Sensing the seriousness of the situation from them, Iasis was quiet as wrapped around her mom's hand. She watched her fish as she was taken away. She looked around when the pool was out of view, trying to figure out what was going on. Everyone was rushing. Everyone was quiet. It was familiar. Old memories that didn't belong to her. She couldn't quite reach them, but something told her that she should be afraid.

They arrived at the rings and were soon at the surface. Sam saw Teal'c and Malek up ahead. "At least we don't have to hurry." She would have had Lantash go up ahead to dial, but she knew he'd not be happy to leave her behind.

"Moving?" Iasis asked.

"Yes."

"Goa'uld?"

"They are coming, but we are all going to be gone by the time they come."

It hadn't taken long for Teal'c to catch up with Malek. The Tok'ra glanced over. "We need to establish a wormhole and hold it. I'll..." He trailed off as the gate opened. Someone had dialed in, and Jaffa were coming through.

Teal'c was fired at. He dodged out of the way and fired back, taking out the closest Jaffa. Malek fired at a second while a third fired at him. He moved before feeling himself burn while being thrown back. He retreated to better heal his host as he felt Teal'c pulling them behind the dialing device.

Amb closed his eyes. "Ow."

_The aim wasn't perfect_, Malek thought. _You'll survive this._

Amb glanced at the wound, knowing that Malek wasn't so sure. _You can't lie to me, Malek._

By the rings, Lantash dropped all his supplies and moved over Sam as she went down. He pulled out his zatnik'atel. "Get back to the rings."

"Lantash." Sam knew he had to stay above. If not for Iasis or the fact that she was pregnant, she'd do the same. She kept low as she returned, holding Iasis close. Thankfully, they hadn't gotten far, and she was soon rung down. She found Aldwin and others standing there.

On the surface, other Tok'ra moved in to join the fight. It was short, especially with Teal'c having the vantage point, but the gate remained open. Teal'c remained ready, making a quick gesture to Amb. "He needs a healer."

"Amb!" Gete seemed to come from no where.

"Malek wouldn't mind some help."

"A proper healer would be better," Gete said as he took out a healing device and put it on. "Don't move," he ordered as he moved his hand over Amb.

"Gete?"

"Wait." Gete continued, doing the best he could. He bandaged Amb afterwards. He frowned in worry before looking to him. "Yes?"

"I want a large bed in my quarters."

"What?"

"For us."

"That's for the married."

"Yeah."

"What?" Gete frowned.

"Will you marry us?"

"Amb?"

"We've been too nervous to ask. We-we don't even have a crystal or the ribbon to go around it."

Gete smiled. "No crystal?"

"No."

"Relax, Amb." Gete brushed his hand along Amb's face.

"You haven't answered me." Amb glanced to Teal'c, who was intently watching the stargate. He wondered if the Jaffa thought they were insane for having this conversation at this moment.

Gete went into his pocket and pulled out a green crystal with a blue ribbon around it. "We can use this one." He smiled at Amb's quiet reaction of surprise. "I've been carrying it around for weeks."

Amb reached out to him. "We'll make our room with it."

"We will." Gete leaned in and kissed him.

Jack approached Teal'c, ready to fire if it was needed. "The Tok'ra are going to try to force the gate closed."

"I did not know they had that capability."

"Neither did I." He looked to Amb and Gete on the other side of Teal'c, looking happy despite the situation. "What's with them?"

"They are as you say, engaged."

"This is new?"

"Indeed."

Jack looked to them. "Uh, congrats."

"Thank you," Gete replied.

"You can force a wormhole to shut down?" He was more wondering why he hadn't heard of this.

"Anise thinks so. She found something somewhere, and she was working on it before Drack died. Is she here?" Amb sat up. "Ow."

"She's coming, now lay down." Gete suddenly ducked as he heard more firing.

"Get off me!" Amb feared Gete would get shot from where they were.

"I'm not letting you get shot again." Gete closed his eyes, wincing every time a shot came near him. He had come out to heal, not to fight. The dialing home device helped a great deal in keeping him safe.

Anise managed to move closer, taking cover with a heavy object. She fiddled with the device, staying low.

"Anise, anytime now!" Jack called out as he moved to duck.

"I'm trying!"

Jack moved up to fire. He took a step back, then fell as his leg was hit. "Argh!"

"O'Neill!" Teal'c couldn't look down to check on him.

"I'm fine. Keeping shooting." He moved himself out of the way and aimed. He couldn't see much from this view. "I can shoot their feet now." He fired before feeling someone working on him. He glanced over before looking back to the gate. "Gete, you sure you know how to work that thing?"

"I'm a very good healer," Gete said as he ripped the cloth further.

"Then why aren't you a healer."

"I'm better served elsewhere. Aldwin has taken the job with other hosts though." He moved the healing device over Jack's leg.

Anise was working, happy to see the device lighting up. Suddenly she heard Freya yelling at her to move, and she scrambled away and took cover.

_I wonder if it would have worked_, Freya thought as they looked to what was left of the device.

Anise moved down again, briefly wondering which Jaffa had shot it. Jaffa continued to come, and the only way to stop it was destroyed. "Retreat!"

"What?" Jack was annoyed. Before he could respond, he was pulled back by a Tok'ra. He saw that was the case for everyone who was injured. "I was shooting. Teal'c."

"Quiet. He's not injured. You are."

Meanwhile, Lantash had moved closer. From his cover, he pulled out a few shock grenades and threw them into the crowd of approaching Jaffa. He ducked down, hoping others did the same. When they had gone off, his weapon was quick against the enemy Jaffa not taken down. He used this chance to retreat, seeing that Teal'c and the others were doing the same.

_We can't let them find the tank_, Martouf thought.

"Teal'c, I need cover." Lantash went for the items as Teal'c moved in position. He destroyed the broken tank and grabbed other items he had dropped. Together, they and others moved back to the rings, and they were soon in the tunnels.. "Were we last?"

"Indeed."

Lantash locked out the rings so they couldn't be used. He and Teal'c went over to the meeting room. Many of the people were here, the Tau'ri, the high council, and a few of the injured. "It's too dangerous to go back up."

"Don't you guys have any weapons for this?" Jack was sitting on the floor. He didn't like it there, but his leg wasn't letting him do anything else. He looked to the council members.

"That's not how we work," Per'sus replied. "Lantash, you locked out the rings?"

"Yes."

"Soon the Jaffa on the surface will not be our only problem We need to retreat further. Aldwin, close as many tunnels as you can. Kela'an, what is the status of the transmitters above? Can you program them from here?"

Kela'an took over while handing Iasis to Lantash. "I might be able to do so."

"Put them on a general transmission. Wait until the Goa'uld ships have arrived and are attacking. Say that the tunnels are collapsing, that we were closed them... 'Assume no survivors.'"

Jack quickly looked to Per'sus. "Isn't that going to leave us stranded?"

Garshaw's eyes flashed in annoyance. "We cannot be rescued, and the only way to survive this is if the Goa'uld pick up that message. They will keep attacking, but if they cannot find us, they will believe the message was true, and they will move on."

Jacob looked to Per'sus and Garshaw. "The Goa'uld are going to destroy the surface looking for us, especially if they know this is the base. We need to move further down."

"I can deal with that," Aldwin offered. "We need close tunnels up here, then create many small sets below. I will need help." He waited for a nod from Garshaw, then picked out helpers and left.

"Those who are capable will move our supplies down as soon as the new tunnels are made," Garshaw added before looking to Lantash and Kela'an, "except for you. One of you must always be with Iasis. Above all others, she must survive."

"I'll check our communications," Kela'an said as she turned away. She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. _They worry for you._ She turned to Lantash. "Samantha and I will keep each other safe. We need to try to figure out what is happening above."

Lantash nodded and let her go. _She'll be safe._

_None of us are safe_, Martouf thought. _Check on Malek._

Lantash went over to the Tok'ra as the others scattered. He knelt down and gave Martouf control. "Amb." He grabbed a near cloth, bunch it up, and put it under his head. "Relax. Iasis wants you to get better."

Amb smiled and looked to Iasis, who was looking at him. "Hello Iasis."

"Hello... Can I jump on you?"

Amb closed his eyes. "If your fathers allow it." He soon felt a small weight landing on his chest. He relaxed more as he felt Iasis curl up.

"You look to be healing," Martouf said as he touched the back of Amb's neck. "We'll move you below as soon as we can."

"You need to be more concerned about Iasis."

Martouf smiled. "She'll help."

"Yes," Iasis squeaked.

Martouf used a healing device to scan Amb. He used it where he could to help Malek without overwhelming Amb's body.

"We are healing," Amb replied. "You don't need to worry over me."

_Let him_, Malek thought. _He's worried about Samantha, and he will until this is all over. He cannot fuss over her right now, so let him fuss over you._

_You like the attention._

_I do_, the symbiote admitted.

Amb smiled as he put a hand over Iasis. "Thank you."

"Malek told you to tolerate me?"

"Yes."

"Tell Malek to rest when he needs to."

Amb smiled. "I will, but he's stubborn."

Martouf settled nearby. He left when he felt Iasis had been out of the water too long. The first tank had been destroyed, but he had another. He prepared it, put Iasis inside, and returned to Amb.

Soon, it was clear the ships had arrived. The ceiling shook, and Martouf suddenly had an Iasis in his lap. "Iasis." He put her back in the tank and put the tank in his lap.

"Scared," she squeaked as she slipped out of the tank and back into his lap.

Martouf put the tank back to his side. "Stay in my lap, but when you dry, you must return back to the tank."

Iasis looked at him and opend her mouth.

"Iasis," he said in a scolding tone.

"Tank," she replied in defeat before curling.

"Samantha will be returning soon," Amb said. "They just need to wait..." He closed his eyes.

"Wake up, Amb."

"Sorry."

Other Tok'ra came into the room. "We're moving the injured."

"Where's Aldwin?" Amb asked as he was picked up by one of the Tok'ra.

"Setting up the room so you'll be comfortable."

Martouf put Iasis in the tank and followed. "We're following you, Amb."

They went into a main room below. The injured were on one side, and supplies were on another. Jack didn't like being carried, but even more, he didn't like feeling useless. He felt better when things settled enough for Daniel and Teal'c to remain. "How long are we expecting to be down here?" Though he knew the reasoning, he didn't like the message. If word got to Stargate Command, their GDO codes would be changed.

"We can survive for a couple years," Martouf informed.

"I'm hoping we aren't here for that long."

"So am I," replied Jacob as he entered. "What will Mark be told if the SGC gets word of that message?"

"He'll be told you and Sam are missing. If more time passes without any word from us, he'll be told you probably didn't survive."

"Does he even know Sam's pregnant?"

"No."

Jacob settled down, frowning slightly. "That's probably for the best." He looked up when Sam entered the room with a large communications device. "The message is sent?"

"Yes." She gave the device to Martouf, who quickly came to help her with it.

Jack looked around. "These set of tunnels seem small."

"Only a small portion of us will be living here," Jacob answered. "The rest are spread out in other sets. If we're found, we'll close the tunnels, and the rest won't have to die with us."

Jack frowned. "Now what?"

"Once Aldwin is finished, we wait."

"Just...wait?"

"Do you have any other suggestions?"

Jack frowned.

Daniel sat down as he watched Martouf bugging Amb.

"Amb," Martouf touched his arm. "What did Malek say about you going to sleep?"

"He told me I had to wait." He closed his eyes. "I'm just...tired..."

"Amb..." Daniel paused briefly. "How did your people live?"

"What?"

"How did they live? How did you become a Tok'ra?"

"Ask someone else."

_Answer him_, Malek thought. _It'll keep you awake._

Amb frowned. "My people..." He sighed. "There is not much to us, but I'll tel you what you want to know."

Daniel smiled and settled.

To be continued...


	3. Amb

(Dinopoodle, thanks for the review. Yes, Daniel is good at that.

Roeskva, glad the proposal didn't seem completely insane. Thanks for the review. :)

Ijzertje, thank you. I hope to continue to hear from you.

MuseUrania, thanks. I'm glad you and others like Iasis and Kela'an. It's worrying to bring in original characters.

Little-nana, glad you have been enjoying my stories. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story. Thanks.

SG4ever, glad to hear from you. Thank you.)

Part 3, Amb

-1899, Planet Woods-

With a spear tight in his hand, Amb followed several men into the forest. Outside, all was quiet, but within, his mind raced. Today the fourteen-year-old would become a man. He had hunted before, but every hunter had to kill a hornbeast to become an adult. With small gestures between the group, they spread out, and Amb moved forward. He reached a glade. Upwind, A hornbeast drank water from a small stream.

Amb crouched and looked over the hornbeast. It was named for the horns on either side of it's head. The powerful animal had protective plates on it's back and a violent temper. Amb moved in, creeping closer, stopping whenever the beast lifted its head. He then waited as others moved into position.

Finally, it was time. Amb emerged from the bushes, running at the beast. It began running towards him. He threw his spear...only to watch it hit the plates. The spear hit the ground with no damage to the beast, and Amb rolled out of the way of the angry animal. He grabbed the spear, praying the tip wasn't too damaged. He scrambled to dodge as the animal charged again. Thankfully, the animal had to slow whenever it turned. Amb was ready by the time the hornbeast was running at him for a third time. The boy threw the spear, this time hitting the throat. He dodged again, now hearing the other hunters come forth. Getting up from the grass, Amb watched as they finished the job. He carefully moved closer, not able to do much without a long weapon. The struggling creature soon fell, and the men cheered.

His father came from the forest, no longer strong enough to hunt. He had insisted on coming into the forest today. "Amb!" he cheered, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It brings me great joy whenever one of my sons become a man."

Amb practically danced on his feet. "Did you see me, Father? Did you see me?"

"I did, and tonight, the clan celebrates you." He laughed when Amb began approaching the hornbeast. "Amb, what are you doing? You are the honored hunter today. The honored hunter does not butcher his kill. Go to town and prepare for tonight."

Amb jumped before racing back towards the village. He entered with a cheer. "I'm a man! I'm a man!" He looked for his best friend, finding him at home. "I'm a man!"

His friend, Lehar set down some pottery he was working on. "I knew you could do it."

Amb grabbed him in a hug. "Tonight I dance! Tonight I tell my story, and tomorrow..." He grinned. "I get to meet my mother!"

"She'll be proud of you too."

"I wish I could remember her..." Amb moved away. "...and my sisters." He turned back to Lehar. "Do you remember your female relatives? Do you wish you could meet them now?"

"You know the law. Males and females cannot meet until they are adults."

Amb plopped on to a rug on the floor. "What if they don't like me?"

"They will, now go get ready for the dance."

"Ready. Right." He left.

By the time night came, Amb found himself surrounded by everyone in the male village. Many were playing drums. He felt nervous, having to retell the story of the hunt. He went over to Lehar. "They are all looking at me!" His whisper was panicked.

"Of course, they are. Now go and dance."

Amb gave worried looks as he moved into the center. Everyone cheered. "I-I am Amb!"

Everyone cheered, though they already knew his name.

"And today..." He circled around the crowd as drums were played. "...today I tell you the story of how I became a man." He smiled as they cheered again, feeling more confident. "My battle with..." He suddenly jump in front of his friend. "...the hornbeast!"

Everyone cheered.

"I approached liked the wind, quiet and unseen. Then it was time for attack."

"Yea!"

"I ran at the beast and threw my spear, but it was so powerful, my spear just bounced!"

By now everyone knew what had happened, but they all gasped and reacted with surprise and horror.

"It ran at me, and I dodged." He heard more gasping. "I grabbed my spear, turned, and I threw it into the throat of the beast!"

"Yaaaaaaaaay!" Drums were pounded.

Amb continued to dance, soon ending his tale. It became time to feast, and for the first time, he had the best cut. He ate most of it before offering the rest to Lehar.

"I can't eat your food." Lehar frowned.

"You're not a hunter. You'll never get the best. You should have one taste."

Lehar took the piece. "I guess I owe you a pot now."

Amb smiled. "Only a small one."

"Thank you, Amb."

"You're welcome."

The next day, Amb headed over to the meeting place with his father. "Will my mother like me?"

"Yes, she'll like you."

"Will she be mad that I don't remember her?"

"She already knows you don't."

Amb tried to remember his father describing her. "Is she having any more children?"

"She's young enough."

"If they are boys, are you going to become their father like you did with me?"

"Yes. You could always use another brother."

"I have twelve of them."

"I'm proud of all of them, but half are adults now. They no longer need me."

"I still need you, father."

"You say that now, but eventually you are going to build your own house. You'll be hunting more, spending time with people your own age. You may even start adopting your own children, and you'll ask for my help now and then, but you won't really need me."

Amb frowned to that. "What if I do need you?"

"Then I'll be there." He smiled before gesturing. "Here we are."

Amb approached, seeing a person standing there. "Is that my mother?" he whispered.

"That's her."

Amb approached slowly, feeling nervious.

"Amb?" She was also nervous.

"Mother?"

"Amb." She hugged him.

Amb returned the hug. "I missed you, Mother."

"I missed you too," she cried as her hold tightened. "I didn't want to give you up. I never wanted to give any of you up."

"We have a good father." Tears fell as he hugged.

"Oh, he is." She pulled away. "I'm lucky he's taken all of my sons and nephews. Kinship is less confusing that way. Are they all well?"

"Yes, Mother. Will you tell me about my sisters?"

She sat on a bench and pulled him to sit next to her. "Yes. Soon you'll meet one of them. You have to meet all your female relatives. I'll tell you all about them."

Amb smiled.

-1902, Three Years Later-

Amb held a pot Lehar had given him soon after becoming an adult. "Going to the meeting place again?"

"It's the only place to see women," Lehar responded. "Come with me."

Amb sighed softly. "No."

"You don't seem to like females much."

Amb looked up. "I like my sisters."

"That's not the kind liking I mean."

Amb shrugged.

"Going hunting again?"

"Yes." He didn't have much else to do at the moment, and the forest was currently mostly filled with rodents.

"Well, have fun. I'll have more fun."

Amb watched him walk off. "Bye." He sighed again, but he decided hunting would make him feel better. He left the house and began heading towards the spears when he heard his little brother calling him.

"Amb! Amb!"

He went over and picked up the boy. "What is it, Nedir?"

The boy's feet wiggled. "I'm hungry."

"Father hasn't fed you yet?"

The young boy responded by hugging Amb.

Amb smiled. "Let's go see Father." He went over to his old home and found his overwhelmed father.

"Amb!" he smiled and rushed over. "They're all hungry, and I burned their lunch."

"I think I have bread at home."

"Oh, thank you!" He hugged him.

Suddenly, there was a sound of rushing outside. Several people called out, "The chapa'ai! The chapa'ai!"

Amb felt his heart freeze. He quickly heard his father say to run. He gave a nod as he picked up the nearest brother. "Hold on to me," he ordered as he headed towards the door. On his way out, he saw the older half of his brothers rushing in, each there to take a young brother to help escape.

Nedir was the one he grabbed, and the boy gripped Amb tightly. "I'm scared."

Amb was running too quickly to respond. He was heading for the forest. He knew his father would follow and try to cover the tracks of all his boys. The forest was a good place to hide, but it was also dangerous if he didn't pay attention. He headed for the river as he watched out for dangerous animals, especially the hornbeast. It was known to attack those running to hide before. "Shh. We'll be safe," he said as he moved through the river.

"They're going to host us," Nedir whined.

"No. No. Shh." Amb moved out of the river and put his brother down. "Go into the bushes," he ordered as he covered all signs of leaving the river. He continued covering his tracks as he followed. He went into the bushes with his little brother and stilled. "Don't move," he whispered. "Don't talk."

With tears on his cheeks, Nedir covered his mouth with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut.

Movement was around them. Most of it was others from the town, running or finding places to hide. Heavy steps followed, and soon Amb saw the men they were running from. From his view, he only saw legs and the bottom of their staff weapons. Most were on the other side of the river, following trails. Amb felt better, knowing that those ones weren't bothering with the river. He felt worried when they disappeared from view.

He remained quiet, not daring to move. He heard movement to the side, and his mind spun. _Hooves_, he thought as he recognized the heavy steps of the hornbeast. He looked to his brother without moving, seeing that the boy still had his eyes shut and his mouth covered. The angle and shade made it impossible to see his expression, and Amb didn't know if Nedir knew what was near them. Amb felt his heart thumping, and he tried to remember to breathe normally. He wanted to hold his breath. He wanted to make it shallow at least. Neither would do any good, as he'd have to take to take a bigger and possibly louder breath if he did that.

Soon he heard yelling. As he watched across the river, he saw young men being taken away. He tried to identify them from this distance. Was it a brother? A friend? Was it Lehar? He was terrified of the idea of seeing Lehar being dragged off. One of the voices sounded like his neighbor. Another sounded like the baker's son.

Whether it was his luck, or if the hornbeast was bothered by the noise across the river, Amb didn't know, but the creature ran off. The Jaffa and their captives had disappeared, probably on their way to the chapa'ai. Amb remained still, listening for the signal that it was safe.

"Amb?" Nedir whispered.

"Shh."

"I have to pee."

Amb frowned. "Hold it."

Nedir was quiet afterwards. A few minutes passed before he spoke up again. "Amb?"

"Yes?"

"I couldn't hold it."

Amb's eyebrows raised, and he was glad not to be right next to him. "Now you blend in better." He didn't know what else to say. It was quiet again. Time passed slowly, and Amb knew the elders had to check to be sure it was safe before bringing people out.

Finally, he heard the bell ringing. "Stay there," Amb whispered as he edged out, checking mostly for animals. "Come." He took his brother's hand and headed to the river. "The river will clean you," he said as they went in.

"It's cold."

"You're already wet." He pulled him across the river and towards the town. "You were good, Nedir."

The boy rubbed his nose as he sniffled. "Was I?"

"Yes, we'll all be proud of you." Amb smiled, but his mood turned sour as they arrived at the village. A few buildings were damaged, and he felt a new fear for his father as he saw the mood of the others. People held expressions of sorrow. Others rushed around, looking for their loved ones. The baker looked as he had crumbled to the floor, his body shaking in sobs. "We need to find father."

"Amb!" Lehar rushed over and hugged him. "Your safe!"

"Were you?" Amb asked as he held his friend.

"Yes, they never came in my direction." Lehar pulled away. "Your family?"

"I don't know."

"My father is well." Lehar had no brothers to worry about. "We'll check on yours."

They went over to Amb's father's hut. The man was hugging children who had arrived first. "Amb. Nedir..." He smiled as he went to hug his sons. "My boys."

"It's been so long since we were attacked," Amb frowned, and his voice softened. "I almost forgot what it felt like."

"You were young the last time. Had to be carried yourself, but we practiced for this, and you did well." He hugged him again. "We'll recover from this. We always do."

Soon all of Amb's brothers came. They were safe. The missing people would not be forgotten, but the village had to continue on with living.

-1906, Three and a Half Years Later-

The hunt with the hornbeast had gone terribly wrong. The spears didn't make their mark, and now Amb and other hunters were running. Amb was ahead, moving faster than the group. He heard a cry out from behind, but he couldn't afford to look. He heard the creature getting closer...closer... Suddenly, he felt as though the beast was on him, and he felt a sharp pain through his backside. The ground was gone, and his arms and legs flailed as he flew through the air.

"Ahhhh!"

He landed hard on coldness, and the ground crackled underneath. He cried out in pain, trying to take his breath. After a few seconds, he realized he had landed on ice. He pushed up to on his side and looked at the hornbeast. It looked back at him, and he knew the ice was the only reason he was still alive. He tried to move up but only ended up flopping on his back. He stared at the sky, trying to will the pain away. He was vaguely aware of that the animal was moving along the river, trying to find a way to him.

Amb closed his eyes, suddenly feeling as though the ice itself was seeping into him. His fingers began hurting. The animal was gone from his mind, and soon there was only coldness and pain.

The next thing he knew, he felt a sharp sing on his cheek. Amb opened his eyes and saw Lehar looking at him. "Did you slap me?"

"Yes. Now stay awake while I take you home."

Amb resisted the need to close his eyes. "The others?"

"How many were in your hunting party?'"

He felt himself being lifted, and he realized he was on a stretcher. "There was four of us."

"...Then you are the only one who lived."

"What?" He tried to sit up. "Ow!"

"Stay down, Amb." Lehar's tone was harsh, but it was also caring. "You make too much noise, you'll attract the hornbeast. It'll come back and kill all of us."

Amb watched the trees as they moved through the forest. With the terrain, he was jolted from time to time. His name was called whenever his eyes closed. He was hurting, and every time he breathed, he felt like ice was getting into his lungs. Time moved slowly, and he was almost convinced they took too long getting home.

They finally arrived at the village. "Home..." His body felt stiff as he was set down on a bed, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Take a breath, Amb," was his father's voice.

Tears fell as he did.

"I know it hurts, but you must breathe." His father felt helpless, watching his son cry out as he was rolled over on his side. "They need to check your back."

"Lehar," Amb managed.

"I'm still here." He touched Amb's foot. "It'll be easier to breathe when you warm up."

Amb nodded as he closed his eyes. Voices became distant. He tried to relax, but he felt helpless as he was moved by others. He concentrated on breathing, which became easier when he was on his back again. He knew he was bandaged up, and he heard someone saying something about losing a lot of blood. "Lehar?"

"Still here."

"Will you...hold my hand?"

"What? Uh, sure."

Amb smiled as he felt his hand grabbed. Then he was out.

The next few days were a blur. Amb was visited by people, feeling like they changed whenever he blinked. One day he woke up and people were rushing around. He didn't know what the reason was, and he tried to ask. Everyone ignored him, and finally, he was alone.

"Father? Lehar?"

Several minutes past before his father came in. "Amb, keep still." He pulled the blanket over Amb's head.

"Father?"

"The chapa'ai was heard. You're dead."

"Father, you should leave."

"Shh! You're dead."

Amb closed his eyes and again found himself resisting the urge to take shallow breaths. He remained still as he heard his father walk away. He listened for shots while wondering how he was to fool anyone if they actually checked on him. Several minutes passed, and while his blanket was light, it wasn't making it particularly easy to breathe. He stiffened as he heard multiple footsteps coming in. They were light, but if one was his father, who were the others?

"Amb, you're not dead anymore," was his father's voice.

Amb relaxed, tried taking a deeper breath, and ended up coughing. He sat up as the blanket was pulled off him. "Argh!" He shook his head as tears fell.

"Relax." His father helped him lay back down.

A strange and blurry man approach. "When was the accident?"

"Four days ago."

Amb blinked his tears away, seeing two men in beige. The first looked a few years younger than him. The second looked as old as his father. "Who are you?"

The young one held a strange device over Amb. "He must have lost a lot of blood." He was looking to Amb's father. "His ribs are cracked. His fingers are frostbitten, and his wound is infected."

"Am I going to lose my fingers?" He was suddenly worried about that.

The man's expression softened as he looked to Amb. "If you stay here, you will probably keep most of them-"

"_Most _of them!" He wanted all of them!

"-however, with the infection in your body, you will probably not survive at all."

"I survived four days! Father?"

His father looked away at first. "You haven't gotten better, Amb. You've been showing signs of getting worse."

He began crying. "I don't want to die."

"There is another option," the man said. "You can join us."

"Who are you?"

He smiled. "My name is Martouf. I am part of the Tok'ra. We have a symbiote in need of a host."

Amb frowned. "You heal the dying in exchange for workers."

"You would become part of us, yes."

"I would live?" Amb was eager for an answer, wanting to be sure he understood the situation.

"Malek will be able to heal these injuries," answered the older man, who's deep voice made Amb shiver.

"My fingers?"

"He could probably save them," the scary one answered, "but you must decide now. Malek is weak, and the longer you take to decide, the weaker he will become."

Amb tried to relax, but his forehead remained creased. "Who are you?"

"I am Aldwin. This is my host, Rorm." He gestured down his body.

Amb bit his lip. "Father?"

His father approached. "Remember the stories I told you about the Tok'ra? These are good people."

"They fight those who take our people."

"Perhaps they could stop the raids entirely. You could help with that...and you would live."

Amb's mind raced. He knew how it went. New home. New family. Nothing would be the same, but he would be alive, and he could visit. "All right."

"We'll take you now." He and the other began moving around.

Amb found himself being placed on a stretcher. "Father?"

"I will walk with you to the chapa'ai."

Amb saw the scary one was the one holding the head of the stretcher. "Will Malek like me?"

The scary man smiled, which made him less scary, but then he spoke in that voice again. "I am sure he will."

Amb shivered as they walked, but it wasn't as bad as the day he was injured. He found himself wondering if they'd want anyone else. What if Malek didn't like him? What if he was too weak? Too quiet? What if Malek didn't like how he looked? He watched as they reached the chapa'ai, vaguely realizing he had never seen it in action. His father helped hold up the stretcher and Martouf pressed the symbols. Water suddenly spilled out of the great circle, and Amb jumped. "Father?"

"Relax, Amb. You'll be fine."

"I can't swim right now!" The air became thinner.

"You're not swimming," Aldwin said.

"I can't..." His breath was caught. Amb suddenly felt dizzy and his world went black.

The next thing Amb knew, he was looking up at blue crystals. He blinked. The pain was gone, but it was replaced by sorrow. Amb sat up, realizing there was tears on his cheeks. He was in a bed, and Martouf sat next to him. "Where's Malek?"

_Hello_, came a voice from within.

Amb jumped.

_Sorry._

Amb wiped his tears, feeling embarrassed. _Are you Malek?_

_Yes, and there is no need to wipe your tears. I am the reason they are there._

_Oh._

_I miss my host. I wish you could have gotten to meet him. He died when I left him to blend with you. Oh, he was a wonderful host._

Amb felt a wave of love move through him. _I'm sorry._

_Some day, I will love you the same way._

Amb bit his lip, wondering if that were possible.

"Are the two of you talking?" Martouf asked.

Amb nodded. "Yes." He then suddenly checked his fingers. _I have them all!_

_Yes, I saved all of them._

_Thank you! I...I don't know how to hug you._

_There are many ways, emotional hugs included. For now, you can gently squeeze the back of your neck._

Amb did just that. _Do you feel it?_

_Yes, thank you._

Amb felt a warmth move through him. It made him relaxed and comfortable. _What is that?_

_That is my way of hugging you._

Amb smiled.

-Present-

Amb relaxed. "That's about all there is to it."

"I was scary?" Aldwin asked, who had come in during the story.

Amb gave a guilty smile. "A little."

"Well, I'll try not to be scary anymore." He smiled and turned to Iasis. "Look what I found." He pulled out a small container with fish.

Iasis squealed.

Aldwin put them in her tank and watched her jump in. He then moved towards Amb and pulled him partly on to his lap. "Amb."

Amb relaxed on him. "I think someone else should tell their story."

"Selmak," Aldwin nominated.

Jacob did a long blink as Selmak took control. "Aw, Saroosh."

"They have met her," Aldwin stated.

"Yes." Selmak gave a sad smile. "I still miss her." She looked to Daniel, who looked very curious. "Very well."

to be continued...


	4. Saroosh

(Dinopoodle, thanks for the review. Glad you like the characters.

Roeskva, thanks. Glad you liked hearing about Amb.

MuseUrania, well, it'll be the host before him. :) Thanks for the review.)

Disclaimer: This uses the people and culture of Hebridan, which is from the episodes "Forsaken" and "Space Race."

Part 4, Saroosh

-1817, Planet Hebridan-

"Welcome home, Saroosh," the computer answered as soon as she entered. "Have you had a nice day?"

Saroosh dropped her bag by the door as she headed to the kitchen. "Do you want anything to drink?" she called out to her friend.

"The usual." Lorkon looked upward as he moved into the house.. "Is is lonely to be greeted by a computer?" The Serrakin sat on the couch. The world was largely advanced because of his people. They had freed these humans from the Goa'uld over a thousand years ago. The two species had lived in peace ever since.

"It's lonelier not to be greeted."

"If you spent more time socializing than working..."

"I've only just graduated."

"From the perfect student to the perfect worker. All your friends have faded away, and if I wasn't so pushy, you'd let me fade away too."

Saroosh smiled as she sat next to him, giving him his drink. "Not you."

"Oh?"

"You are my oldest friend."

Lorkon smiled. "Well, I-"

He was interrupted as the computer took over. "News Alert! Remains of the the ship, Helith, have been found drifting in space. There is no sign of its crew. Authorities believe it was a Goa'uld attack."

Saroosh sighed as she stood up. "It's not safe to move through space." She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling cold.

"It never has been."

"Don't sound so calm," she snapped. "We both had friends on that ship!"

"I'm not. I...I'm sorry, Saroosh." He set his drink down as he stood. "Maybe they'll find survivors."

"They never have."

Lorkon hugged her. "I'm still hoping."

Saroosh sighed. "Maybe. I'm sorry. It's... I helped build that ship. They went on it because I built it."

"It's not your fault. Any ship could have been attacked."

Saroosh sighed again. It didn't help.

-Three Months Later-

There had not been any more news of the ship. Saroosh was at work, working on a possible new engine. She wanted to figure out how to make it run more efficiently.

"You need a break," Lorkon said as he walked up.

Saroosh jumped. "What are you doing here?"

"The planet Neeka has minerals we use on your engines. Your employer has asked me to trade. He wanted me to take you, since you know the mineral better than I do."

Saroosh stood up. "He suggested me?"

"Well, he said I could take one of his workers. I asked for you." Lorkon smiled.

"Neeka."

"We'll be traveling through the stargate, and Neeka is protected by Skadi."

"Skadi is a goddess they believe in."

"Well, the planet has technology they certainly didn't invent. Skadi was probably somebody."

Saroosh needed a few minutes to gathered her things. "I'm ready."

"I have all the papers." He lead her to the nearest transport, which quickly moved along the streets like a hovering bus. At each stop, it called out the names of those who were getting off. After half an hour, it finally reached the right place. "Stargate Building. Saroosh. Lorkon."

Saroosh got off as more names were called. She went up the high steps towards the building. "Do we have a guide?"

"We don't need a guide. I'm a trader, remember?"

"You don't know the planet that well."

"I know enough." The door opened for them, and he soon gave his papers to a woman.

"I've never been on another planet before," Saroosh admitted as they began approaching the stargate.

"This planet is like walking through a forest."

"I've never been in a forest."

"Lots of trees."

"I know what a forest is," she replied with an annoyed tone. She turned to the stargate, watching as it activated. The bright blue, spilling closer and closer until pulling back. Then it rippled like water. "Wow."

"Come on." Lorkon moved up the steps to the stargate.

Saroosh stared for a moment before running after him. "How many planets have you been on?"

"Three."

She smiled as she moved closer. She touched the horizen as she watched Lorkon disappear. "All right." She slowly stepped through. She felt like she was being pulled forward. Everything rushed around her, and she felt sicker and sicker. On the other side, she barely made it down the steps, went to her knees, and promptly threw up.

"You'll feel better."

She wiped her mouth and grabbed some water to drink. Then she looked around. "I've never seen so many trees."

"They aren't as tall as our buildings."

"Where do they get this mineral you need?"

"They have mines."

Saroosh stood up. "This place is..." She heard sound from the stargate. "What is that?" She moved behind Lorkon. "We were the only ones coming."

Lorkon was tense. He never expected this! "Uh..."

"Uh? Uh? Someone is coming, and all you can say is 'Uh?'"

"Uh."

"Hide!" Saroosh dragged him to behind a tree and ducked down. Sick again, she felt trembly as she stared at the stargate.

A man and woman came through.

Lorkon suddenly sounded almost cheerful, recognizing the clothes worn by the man. "Oh, Tok'ra."

Saroosh let out a breath. "Tok'ra."

The Tok'ra became alert, knowing someone was there. "Who's there?" the man asked. His voice indicated the symbiote was in control.

Saroosh got up, approaching slowly. "Hi?" She glanced to Lorkon.

The woman approached with a frown. "Are you all right? You look...pale and sweaty." Her voice was also distorted.

"I uh..." Saroosh had never met Tok'ra before. She pushed Lorkon closer. "You talk. You're the trader."

"We've come to trade with these people," Lorkon explained.

The male Tok'ra moved closer. He held a serious expression, and Saroosh could have sworn that he suddenly got taller. His eyes flashed. "So have we."

"Lantash, be kind," the woman said.

"I am." He walked away.

Saroosh moved back behind Lorkon and watched him leave. When the woman followed, Saroosh whispered, "Do they want the same mineral we want?"

"I don't know, but if it is, they aren't going to get it." Lorkon followed the same path. Though the Tok'ra seemed to disappear. He wasn't sure where they went, and they soon arrived at the village. They were greeted quickly, and Saroosh found herself maneuvered to a table with food. Music was played, and people danced around them.

Nothing really happened for the next several minutes, and Saroosh watched the dancers as they skipped and jumped around them. The Tok'ra walked from the other side, and she wondered where they came from. They were sat down at the same table, and it all went quiet.

A man gestured towards the tables. "We have travelers from the stars. We feast, and then we trade. Let us celebrate!"

The music and dancing continued. Food was brought out and set on the table. Saroosh looked to Lorkon. "You didn't tell me we would be eating."

"I just figured that out myself."

"Guarda always celebrate when they have visitors," the female Tok'ra explained. "Do you two have names?"

"I'm Lorkon. This is Saroosh. Guarda is the city-state?"

The woman smiled. "It is. I am Jolinar. This is Lantash. He is kinder than he seems."

Lantash looked annoyed by that. "I am what I have to be."

"So, you are the snake things?" Saroosh asked, then immediately regretted her wording. She expected anger.

Instead, Lantash smiled for the first time. "Snake things?"

"I meant a...politer term."

"Yes," Jolinar answered. "My host is Kara. His is Kibar." She gestured to Lantash.

Lantash began eating. The serious expression took over again.

"You are Hebridians?" Jolinar asked.

"Yes."

"A few of you have become hosts...the humans," she added as she looked to Lorkon.

"Yes."

"You have done well to defend your home from the Goa'uld."

"Not well enough," Saroosh replied as she thought of the Helith.

"I fear that will not be entirely possible until the Goa'uld are destroyed. Perhaps you could join us."

"My people need me."

"The galaxy needs us, and we could use you."

"As a host."

"Of course." She looked down, and her expression changed. It was still friendly. "I am Kara. You might enjoy being a host."

Saroosh shrugged.

"We come to this planet when we need hosts. If you ever wish to join us, come to this planet."

"I will remember that, but I-I don't think..." She shook her head. Not sure what else to say, she began eating. It was quiet for several minutes, but Jolinar spoke up again.

"Are the two of you married?"

"No, no," Lorkon answered, and based on his expression, he'd be turning red if he were human. "We're just friends."

"Are you?" Saroosh asked. "The four of you?"

Jolinar smiled. "We don't get along well enough for that. We argue about everything."

"You do the arguing," Lantash added, hardly looking up from his plate. "I do as I'm told."

Jolinar sighed. "We're not married," she added for emphasis.

Saroosh nodded. The dinner was fairly quiet, though Jolinar kept asking questions. She didn't mention much about herself or her host. Lantash said very little. When the dinner was over, the celebration seemed to die down. The man had introduced the celebration came to the table. "What do you wish to trade for?"

"Shouldn't we do this separately?" Lorkon asked.

"That would not make sense if you both want the same thing." The man smiled. "Now, what do you want?"

-Five Hours Later-

"I don't like them."

Saroosh looked to her pouting friend. "You did well. We have minerals to bring back."

"They got most of them."

"They've been trading with the Tok'ra longer than with our people. Of course the Neekans are going to give them a higher priority. It was your first negotiation. You did well." She kissed his cheek.

"I hope your employer agrees."

"There are other planets to trade with."

"Unless the Tok'ra reach them first," Lorkon grumbled.

"Well, I enjoyed myself."

The Serrakin finally smiled.

"Let's go home."

"Home." He dialed the stargate, and they were soon going up the steps.

-1820, Three Years Later-

"_The galaxy needs us, and we could use you."_

Saroosh woke up with the words echoing in her mind. They had ever since that day. She had gone with Lorkon to the planet for trading since then, but they had not met Tok'ra. She never admitted to him that she was hoping they would.

The trip had been the most exciting thing in her life. It was something new! She still dreamed about it, and she loved those dreams.

"Good morning, Saroosh," her computer voiced.

"Good morning," she muttered as she climbed out of bed. She stretched and plopped back on the bed. "What do you think the Tok'ra would want with me?"

"Please, restate," the computer replied, an automatic reply if its program didn't understand something.

"Here. I make engines for ships that may get destroyed by the Goa'uld."

"Please, restate."

"Maybe there I could actually do something about that."

"Please, restate."

Saroosh looked up to the computer. "Never mind."

"Acknowledged."

She fell back on her pillow, delaying the need to get out of bed. However, soon she was she up. She got ready and went to work.

A few days later, she mentioned her dream to Lorkon, as she had done before.

"Do you know why they need hosts?"

"Because they have dangerous jobs and the hosts die," Saroosh answered, knowing that was his answer.

"Exactly. Now why do you want to go do that?"

"They could use me."

"_Our_ people need you."

"To make ships for the Goa'uld to attack. Anyone can make those ships."

Lorkon sighed. "All right. I need you."

Saroosh smiled. "You have other friends."

"Not like you." He took her hand. "Please, I..."

"Part of me still can't imagine actually leaving... I-I need to think about it."

He nodded, and though he smiled, his eyes were full of worry.

-1821, A Year Later-

Saroosh rushed up the building. The lift was taking far too long for her liking; she ran out as soon as it arrived at the right floor. Arriving at Lorkon's door, she knocked until he opened. "Congratulations!" she jumped and hugged him.

"What?" he was in pajamas with eyes half open.

"You got into the Off World Trading program!" she hopped.

"I was asked. I never applied."

"Such an honor! You must be proud. Your parents must be proud."

Lorkon looked at her for a few seconds before turning away. "I haven't accepted."

"Why not?"

Lorkon puffed out air. "I'd be away from the planet most of the time. I can't do that after I've been asking you to stay."

Saroosh frowned. "I...I can't be the reason you haven't accepted."

"Why not?" he turned towards her.

"Lorkon..."

"I love you, Saroosh." He watched her freeze. "I have for a long time, and that's why I've practically been begging you to stay."

She looked down. "I can't be the reason you turn this down."

"You don't feel anything for me?"

"I do."

He smiled and took her hands. "Then why can't you be the reason."

"It's your career."

"I don't need Off World Trading to have one. I've been doing good now, hiring myself out to those who need it. Even more companies will be asking now that I've gotten that offer."

Saroosh sighed.

"I'm not taking the offer. I-"

Saroosh kissed him. She was almost surprised as him, but it felt right. The kiss lingered, and it tingled her skin. She looked to him afterwards. "It won't be my fault if your career fails."

"No." He smiled.

"Your parents?"

"They won't blame you. They love you too much." They had known her as long as he had.

Saroosh smiled. "I've never kissed a Serrakin before."

He chuckled. "I've never kissed a human before." His hands moved to her back and he kissed her again.

Saroosh had never cared for dating. She tried it from time to time, but she hadn't liked it. She realized now that it was because she hadn't been with the right guy. He also brought her more on his trading missions. Lorkon was often sent to trade for ship needs. She was able to help him get exactly what she would be needing, and it helped both their careers.

He was happier too. Lorkon had realized how foolish it had been not to speak up sooner. The time wasted! It didn't matter though. They had the rest of their lives.

Four years after that first kiss, he took her the park and asked her to accept the family dagger. A sign that he could keep her safe, his family had used it to propose for over five hundred years.

"Yes!" she pulled him close and kissed him.

He picked her up and twirled her. "Saroosh." He smiled. "My life is complete now."

-1826, One and a Half Years Later-

Saroosh was working on the engines of a new ship.

"When is the wedding?" one of her coworkers asked.

"In a month. We've been busy with planning." She smiled. "Right now he's off world. I'm to make some plans with his parents while he away."

"They don't mind him marrying a human?"

Saroosh frowned. "No."

"What do you still have to do?"

"Pick out the flowers, and-" She heard a metallic snap, and realized it was above her colleague. "Watch out!" She pushed her out of the way before feeling something large fall on her.

The next thing she heard was her coworker crying. "I'm sorry. It was my fault it broke."

"Huh?" Saroosh felt dizzy.

"I'm sorry."

"Where am I?"

"You are at the hospital."

Saroosh blinked.

"Someone is here to see you."

"Lorkon." She looked over, but it was Lorkon's father instead. "Oh."

He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Saroosh..." He looked like he had been crying.

"When will Lorkon be able to come here?"

"He's...not... Saroosh...the planet he was on was attacked."

"What?" This couldn't be true.

His voice wavered. "He-He was killed."

"No."

"We just heard the news last night."

"No." Tears fell. "I... No one told me."

"You've been out...recovering. You've been sleeping for half a day."

Saroosh shook her head and curled into herself. "How?"

"Death-death gliders."

She looked to him. "Goa'uld."

"Yes."

She turned away and curled back to herself. She became vaguely aware his father remained as she cried to herself. Aside from tears, the room was quiet for a long while. She wasn't sure how long time passed. It was darker now, and she saw he was still there.

He finally spoke again. He had been waiting for when it seemed she'd hear him. "The doctor said you'll make a full recovery."

"You don't have to stay."

"You shouldn't be alone."

Saroosh looked around, seeing a bag that probably had her belongs. "The dagger should be with my belongings."

"It was given to you."

"His brother should have it." She looked to him. "I'm not going to be staying here anymore."

-1827, Six Months Later, Planet Neeka-

In the distance, Saroosh heard the stargate. She hoped it wouldn't be her people. Some had been sent to try to get her back, but she insisted on staying. She remained at her table, working on the bowl she had been making.

Several minutes later, there was a familiar voice. "Saroosh, is it not?"

Saroosh looked up to see exactly who she wanted. "Helo Jolinar."

"I've come looking for a host. The Neekans say that they have no one who is injured, but a visitor who is willing."

"I've been waiting."

She looked around. "Are you alone?"

"Lorkon was killed."

"I'm sorry to hear."

Saroosh felt tears threatening. "I-I don't really want to talk about..."

"I'll take you to our base."

Saroosh got up and followed. "Who needs a host?"

"Her name is Selmak. The current host has lived a long time, and it will not be long before Selmak can no longer push the body to live."

"Old age? I didn't think any host would get that far with your work."

"Some have."

"Do you think I will?"

"You might."

Saroosh didn't ask much. She was soon taken to a new planet, and she found she liked Neeka or her own much better. The new one was hot and windy. She needed help across the sand that was trying to bury her. Finally, Jolinar stopped in the middle of no where, and Saroosh jumped as rings suddenly came up. She looked around, seeing herself in a crystal cave.

"Selmak is this way." Jolinar continued walking. "She'll want to talk to you first."

"Talk to me?" She hurried to keep up.

"To see if she likes you."

"What if she doesn't?"

"She'll like you. Just be honest." Jolinar smiled.

Saroosh frowned to that, and she was soon in a room where people surrounded an elderly woman. She was nudged closer, and she stopped by the bed. "Hi?"

Jolinar moved closer. "Selmak, this is Saroosh." She left as she was given a look to leave.

Selmak looked to Saroosh. "I have questions."

"Jolinar mentioned you would."

"What do you think of the Goa'uld?"

Saroosh's expression darkened. "They killed my fiancé."

"You cannot use us for vengeance."

Saroosh frowned, knowing that she had thought of that. "I needed to get away. I don't have any other place to go. I thought I could be used here."

"Are you a good person?"

"I think so."

"You are not sure?"

"I don't know anymore. Are you? I've only met two of you. Lantash made me nervous. Hours seeing him dealing with trade, and I think he only smiled once. Jolinar seems nice. She said the Tok'ra could use me. I thought about it. For a long time, I thought about it. Lorkon asked me to stay. He wanted me near. He turned down a good career move to stay near me, and I let him. Now he's gone, and I've spent the past several months wondering. If I told him no? If I had said he has to take the job, and that I could never love him, would he still be alive?" She looked down as tears fell. "I-I didn't mean to ramble."

"It sounds like you made him happy."

She sniffled. "He thought so."

"When my host dies, I will blame myself."

"Jolinar said it was age. You can't help that."

"Maybe if I did something else, she would have lived another week, another month...maybe even another year... Being good doesn't mean being able to predict the future."

Saroosh was quiet.

"Stay near me. Since you are not injured, I can stay with Parra a little longer."

Saroosh nodded, and she found herself doing just this. She sat with Selmak for the next couple days, talking to her and Parra. When it was time, she was told to lie in bed with them. She had been told what to do, and she felt nervous. "It is time?"

"You and Selmak will take care of each other," Parra answered. "She is a good symbiote. Relax and come closer."

Saroosh leaned closer. She closed her eyes, and soon she felt Selmak moving through her mouth. Her eyes teared in the pain, and she felt guilty for gagging. She lost control, and their emotional pain mixed into something Saroosh didn't think she could bear. She felt her hand touching Parra's face as her eyes were opened.

"Goodbye good friend," Selmak said before closing Saroosh's eyes again.

_Now what?_ Saroosh asked.

_I need to heal myself. You should sleep._

_I'll have nightmares._

_I'll make sure you do not._

Trusting her, Saroosh closed her eyes and soon slept.

-Present-

Selmak smiled. "She lived longer than she ever thought she would, and with me, she loved again."

Sam didn't know much about Selmak beyond how it related to her father, and she enjoyed hearing about the previous host. "It's too bad you didn't somehow meet Lorkon."

"I have often thought the same. She must be with him now. In time, a long time, I will join them." Selmak smiled before adding, "I hope he likes me."

"Oh, he has to."

"I hope your mother likes me as well."

Sam glanced down. "She will."

"Jacob has told me the same."

Sam smiled. It still made her a bit sad to think of her mother, but she was happy to hear that her dad and Selmak had talked about her.

"Now..." Selmak gave another smiled. "I think I want to sleep."

"Amb has fallen asleep," Gete added, still near his fiancé. "He said Malek said he could."

"Perhaps we can continue with the stories another time," Selmak added as she looked to Daniel. She knew he was very curious. She saw he was disappointed. "Don't worry. We are going to be here for a while."

to be continued...


	5. Wedding

(Roeskva and MuseUrania, thank you for the reviews.)

Part 5, Wedding

A few days later, Amb smiled as he moved down the hall. "I'm walking."

Gete stayed near. "You are."

Amb continued, but his body tired. Leaning against Gete, he closed hie eyes and let his love support him. "Are we almost there?"

"We are."

Amb smiled and continued walking. They arrived at the main area, and Martouf greeted them. "When is the wedding?"

"Maybe it's best to wait until we are out of here." Gete replied as he helped Amb sit down.

"If you do that, my youngest might be old enough to be your flower girl."

"I hope we aren't here that long," Daniel added from his little corner. He had been reading a book.

Amb looked to Sam, who was smiling at that comment. "I would think you would like that."

"Yes," Martouf replied, "but I would prefer if you were married before she was born."

"I agree with Daniel," Sam replied as she put a hand over her stomach. "I don't want her born in the tunnels."

_I don't want to wait that long either_, Malek thought.

Amb bit his lip. "Gete?"

Gete rubbed the back of Amb's neck. "Malek doesn't want to wait?"

"No, and neither do I. Do you? It could be a long time."

Gete smiled. "I'll get everything ready then."

"What do I do?"

"Rest." Gete leaned and kissed him. It was short but strong, leaving Amb with a shiver. His eyes flashed. "Relax now."

Martouf frowned. "You need a milk bath."

"Purification ritual," Aldwin said softly. "I think we are clean enough."

"You need to drink milk at least."

"I don't think we have any around."

Daniel grabbed his bag. "Wait... I have powdered milk." He pulled it out. "You add water."

Aldwin smiled. "Thank you." He stood up and left.

Amb looked over to Jack. "How is your leg?"

"It's been better."

"If I recall correctly, you have been shot in the leg before."

"Same leg." That had been a long recovery, and he suspected this would be the same.

"The injuries you and your team have recovered from without symbiotes is remarkable."

"We're tougher than you think."

Teal'c stayed quiet, though he agreed with both. The way his friends were able to recover from various injuries had surprised him multiple times, but by now, he had learned not to underestimate them.

"You must have made some recoveries before Malek, as a hunter," Jack added.

"Yes, but I cannot imagine life without him." He relaxed before half muttering to himself. "Malek is one of the best to have in your head."

_Thank you_, Malek thought.

"I should be having my milk soon."

"I'll mix it for you," Sam offered as she went to the wall to get water. She got the powder from Daniel, and she soon returned to Amb with milky water. She sprinkled a pinch of powder in his hair.

Amb's eyes moved upward, as though he wanted to look on the top of his head. "Am I pure now?"

"Yes. Now it's Malek turn." She handed him the glass before going back to Jack's bedroll. "Have you rested?"

"Not really." He had slept, but not as much as he should have. He knew she knew the answer, and that her point was that he should.

"Sir, you've slept in the tunnels before."

"I didn't like it then either." Besides, he wasn't even tired. He knew the Goa'uld were over them, and that made him very alert.

"He'll sleep," Daniel said, not all that worried. Jack always managed to catch up on his sleep.

Jacob wasn't happy. They were trapped without answers, and he knew the Goa'uld were still above, searching. They knew just enough to leave questions. They were missing something.

_I agree with you_, Selmak thought. _The Goa'uld didn't come after us until after Euhen was attacked. If they had a choice, they'd have gone after the base first... We're not going to get answers yet. Right now, we have a wedding to deal with._

_Amb picked a hell of a time to propose._

_It's not uncommon for humans to want to marry their loved ones when faced with the idea of danger. Let's find them._

Aldwin was easy enough. He was dressed in new clothes and surrounded by a few Tok'ra. He held a set of clothes. "Do you think Amb and Malek will like this?"

_I'm guessing he's asking you_, Jacob thought as he retreated.

"They will." Selmak made her way closer. "Are these your attendants?"

"Most of them." He was walking back to the main room.

"Are the Tau'ri invited?"

"It would be rude to make them move." Aldwin went over to Amb. "I'll help you get ready." He took a glass of milky water from Sam... "Thank you." ...not noticing she put some powder in his hair. After taking a sip, he noticed the power in Amb's hair. "You're dusty," he teased, though he wasn't sure what it was.

"My bath," Amb replied as he reached up and touched Gete's hair. "I'm not the only one."

Aldwin touched Gete's hair briefly before leaning into Amb. "We're all ready. I picked out clothes for you. I hope you like them."

Amb smiled. "Help me?" He was still slow in his movements.

"Of course."

Selmak waited until everyone was settled before moving over to the grooms. "Can Amb stand during the ceremony?"

"I can," Amb replied, getting up with Gete and Martouf's help. When he was steady, he gave a nod to Martouf, who stepped away. "Thank you." He looked to Gete, then Selmak. "We are ready."

Selmak gave a nod. "Today, we are here to witness the union between Amb of Woods and Gete of Rire. Amb."

Amb held on to Gete's shoulders as he spoke. He looked nervous. "G-Gete... I promise to do whatever it takes to make you happy, to never give up on this marriage, to support you, and to trust you. I give you my honestly, my loyalty, and my love."

_Did he just copy our vows_, Lantash thought.

_It's sweet_, Martouf replied._ It has all that is needed, and he's not had much time to come up with his own. _He looked to Sam, and given the amused smile, he knew she recognized them as well.

_Someday, we'll be giving vows to Kela'an._

Martouf made no response, not ready to love the symbiote yet. There was a part of him that was bugged that the sense from Sam was now Kela'an and not Jolinar.

_Us not being able able to differentiate between their senses does not mean she's no longer there._

"With vows given and promises made, the council recognizes the marriage of Amb and Gete."

_Look, you distracted me, and now we missed their wedding_, Martouf thought.

_Relax. We'll be seeing three more._

Lantash was right. Selmak moved on to Malek and Aldwin. Malek gave the same vows Amb had. Aldwin's version was similar, and most likely the same Gete had used.

"Malek, my love, from this day forward, you have my trust, my honestly, and the promise to make you happy. I will be your protector, your supporter...your mate, and your loyal husband."

"With vows given and promises made, the council recognizes the marriage of Malek and Aldwin." Selmak smiled before moving on to Amb and Aldwin, who used the same vows they had before. Finally, it was for Malek and Gete. Once they were done, many of the Tok'ra came in to sprinkle paper flowers on them.

Iasis squealed in joy, wiggling in Sam's hands. She squealed at her mom in an almost begging tone. Sam smiled. "Iasis wants to drop a flower on you."

"We would be honored." Malek smiled.

Sam let Iasis grab a flower with her mouth and held the larva up above them. The flower was dropped, and it landed on Gete's shoulder.

While they would normally be left alone, Amb needed to lay back down. Gete helped him before laying next to him. "We had a beautiful wedding."

"Soon, I'll be healed enough for us to truly celebrate, but... I'm feeling tired again."

"Go to sleep. I'll watch over you."

There was normally a celebration for the attendants and guests, but under such circumstances, it wasn't mentioned. Martouf took Iasis as Sam left. He wasn't sure where she was going."I don't like being away from Sam."

"My sister," Iasis responded, knowing that was the reason.

"Yes." Martouf feared that something would go wrong with the pregnancy.

"Mom is strong."

"She is."

"Dad is strong." She referred to him.

"Some think so."

"So sister strong."

"I hope so." Martouf pet her.

"Two strong daughters," she added to include herself.

He smiled, knowing the reason for her words. He picked her up and kissed her back. "Yes. Two strong and beautiful daughters." He felt her affectionately nip at his cheek. "We love you, Iasis."

"Love you, fathers."

When their version of night came, everyone was settled. Selmak suddenly spoke up. "I believe it is Yosuuf's turn."

Yosuuf looked up. "What?"

"How you blended."

"Why me? Einar blended before I did."

"Yes, but you are older."

Yosuuf smiled. "Very well."

To be continued...


	6. Yosuuf

(Roeskva, thanks. :) Daniel seemed to be the perfect one to have milk powder.

SG4ever, glad to hear from you. I'm glad you liked Saroosh's story.

Dinopoodle, thank you. Hope you enjoy this one.)

Part 6, Yosuuf

-1866, Planet Neeka-

A seventeen-year-old Yosuuf was being dressed in multiple layers. She stood on her little stool while her sisters and female cousins circled, perfecting her. "I'm nervous."

"Every bride is."

"I feel sick."

"Eat." Her oldest sister gave her bread. "He will like you."

"How do you know that? We've only met once, and I wasn't allowed to speak."

"Eat your bread."

She nibbled on the bread.

"Our parents found a good husband for me. They would have done the same for you."

Yosuuf was quiet while she continued eating her bread. Her relatives brushed away the crumbs. Soon she was pushed outside. Music played, and her bridal party danced around her. She couldn't see where she was going, and she knew no one could see her. She was guided and directed, but in a sudden move, they all left as the music stopped. She knew they were all somewhere behind her, and she found herself looking at her groom. He was pale and sweaty, and she realized he was as nervous as she was.

Their hands were tied together by what Yosuuf presumed was the city-state's leader. She had came from another city-state, but this would be her home now.

The leader moved in front of them, facing the crowd. "We are here to rejoice in the union between Guard Jerad of Choras, son of Jerron and Lora, and Yosuuf of Porre, daughter of Bawn and Vindy. They are binded during the ceremony..." He gestured to their hands. "...to show the bond they will have for the rest of their lives. Now..."

A tray of food was brought to them. One end was held by Yosuuf's mother. The other end was held by a man she didn't recognize.

"Bread," the leader continued, "so they will never go hungry."

The binds allowed some movement, and Yosuuf took a piece of bread as her groom did the same. They ate.

"Honey, so their lives will be sweet."

Yosuuf was curious, having never had honey before. She ate the small amount that was on the tray. It was almost too sweet.

"Hot pepper, so they will always have passion."

Yosuuf ate her pepper as quickly as possible. Her eyes watered, and she became thirsty.

"Finally...milk, so they will have many children."

Yosuuf was more than happy to have the milk. It quickly eased the spice, and she wished there was more of it.

"The bond is made. Let the dancing begin!"

Music started, and people began dancing around them. "I think we can talk now," Jerad said.

"I don't know what to say. I don't know much about you. My parents say you are a guard. A guard of what?"

"I'm a prison guard."

"The Guarda prison? The one that many city-states use?"

"Yes. We go in once a day, checking on the prisoners. If they are dead, we burn them. If they are alive, we give them food and water."

"You also check the prisons if the ring is activated?"

"Of course. We know which cells to check."

"I would like to see it some day."

"Perhaps, but it really isn't a place for a woman."

"Do you not put female prisoners in there?"

"Yes, but we don't care about the prisoners. They are treated well enough."

The celebration was long, involving lots of food and dancing. The entire time, Yosuuf worried about the wedding night. She had heard many stories, both good and bad. The time came almost too quickly. Their hands were untied, and she was lead into her new home. It was a good home, though she wasn't surprised. Prison guards were paid well. That in itself worried her. Why was he paid well, unless it was dangerous?

She soon learned that Jerad was patient and gentle. Though he had arranged to marry her with her parents, he was still very nervous himself. Yosuuf fell asleep while thinking about what her new life would be like.

It was hard work, but this wasn't new to Yosuuf. There was a lot of hard work no matter where she lived. Her husband was often gone for a days at a time, due to the long travel it took to get to the prison. She'd have to get used to this.

One day he offered to take her to see the prison. They took horse-like animals, starting out the journey in the middle of the night. It was midmorning by the time they arrived. The city-state Guarda was right next to the prison, but Jerad didn't want to leave his home. "It is going to smell," he warned as they got off the animals.

"My father said the Tok'ra came this way, but he didn't understand how."

"We are protected by the goddess, Skadi. Around the ring, she has put down her power. Goa'uld and Jaffa who cross it are put directly in our prisons. She made this over a thousand years ago. We have expanded our prison to include our prisoners. The power that protects us confuses the Tok'ra with our enemies. It puts them in the prison, so we must check every time we hear the ring activate. If it is a Tok'ra, we will let them out."

They began going down into the ground, and they were followed by other guards. The entrance, which was lined with stone, was fairly wide, allowing light into the first cells. The first six were clearly the ones people were transported into. They were clean, lined with stone, roomy, and very secure. Beyond this, dirt had been carved away. Cells were formed, and gates blocked a prisoner's way out.

As it became darker, Jerad took out an oil lamp and lit it. The cells were small, and a few did not allow room enough for a man to stand or fully lie down. The prisoners cowered away from the light. Each was in a cell, and they were filthy. Many had infected wounds where they had been chewed on by insects and rodents. The newer ones still had their clothes intact, but most of the prisoners wore rags. The ones who had been there the longest wore nothing, but in these conditions, most were outlived by their own clothes. The whole place smelled of a combination of body waste, dirt, and other things that Yosuuf couldn't imagine.

She felt sick, and she didn't stay long. "You believe that is being treated well?"

"It's better than they deserve. They did not commit small crimes. Murderers. Rapists. Thieves."

"Would it not be better to kill them and be done with it?"

"No," he shook his head. "They should suffer."

"What if they escape?" She took his hands in worry.

"I am never alone. Some have gotten out of their cells, but no one has escaped the prison. As you see, this entrance is well guarded, and so are the air holes."

"Air holes?"

"Yes, A few prisoners thought they could escape by climbing up the air holes. They were wrong."

"I feel sick."

"The smell will do that."

Yosuuf sat down.

"We'll eat later." He rubbed her back. "Everyone gets sick the first time." He smiled as she leaned into him.

-1868, Two Years Later-

Yosuuf paced, waiting for her husband to return. It seemed to take longer than normal, but she knew it was in her mind. Finally, he came, and she greeted him at the door. "Jerad!" She nearly pounced on him.

He grinned, quickly noticing her excited mood. "You seem extra happy."

"Yes, I have news." She pulled him in towards the dining table. "Sit down."

"What's the news?" he asked as she left to get food.

She set his food down before playing a hand over her stomach. "We're going to have a child."

Jerad jumped up. "Yosuuf!" He went to hug her, then suddenly stopped. "Oh." He gently put his hands on her side, afraid that anything further would hurt the baby. "When is he due?"

"In seven months."

He put his hand over her stomach, just barely. "Jerad the Second."

"It's a fine name."

"He'll become a guard like me."

He smiled and kissed her.

-Seven months later-

Jerad had been kicked out of his house. It was swarming with women, and all he could do was pace. His father, brothers, and brother-in-laws were telling him to be calm. He didn't know how he could be calm when he could hear his wife screaming. He had been told it was normal. He had heard similar screaming when his sisters and sister-in-laws gave birth.

"Relax, Jerad," his father ordered. "You will need your strength later."

Jerad sat down. "She's screaming."

"Screaming is good. Screaming means she has the strength to scream."

Jerad found himself pacing again. It all lasted far too long, but he was finally allowed in. He hurried and found his family.

"They are both healthy," the midwife informed while cleaning up. "You have a baby girl."

Jerad was relieved to hear, then surprised. He approached the bed and pulled a chair closer. He looked to the bundle she was holding. Yosuuf looked to him, never having looked so tired and happy. "Do you want to hold her?"

He shook his head in fear. "N-no."

"She's not going to break."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Jerad reached out, and with instructions, he cradled his daughter. "I thought you were going to be a boy." He touched the baby's cheek lightly. "Jerad isn't a good name for a girl."

"What are we naming her?" Yosuuf yawned and closed her eyes.

"I guess we'll call her Yosuuf the Second." He looked over and saw his wife smile before falling asleep. He looked back to Yosuuf II. "You're trapped with me. Do you think I can kiss her?"

"She'd like that," the midwife answered.

He kissed his daughter's forehad. "She's beautiful."

-1879, ten and a half years later-

Aside from a growing family, not much had changed in Yosuuf's life. Three sons and another daughter had survived birth. It was hard work that Yosuuf was accustomed to, but lately, she had been feeling tired. "Mommy needs to rest," she tried to explain before sitting down. She closed her eyes as her oldest children jumped on her.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

She closed her eyes, trying to ignore them. They wouldn't let her rest though, and she had to get up. She now had this reason that she couldn't wait until her husband returned. He would help take care of them. Unfortunately, his stay was too short. He had to leave, and though having taken the time to rest, Yosuuf felt even more tired than before. She also began finding strands of hair on her pillow, and she became afraid to brush. Over the next few weeks, her fingernails turned white, cracking and bleeding. She finally dragged her children to her sister-in-law and left them there while she visited a doctor.

The trip took half the day, since the best doctor was in the city-state next to the prison. She hoped to figure out the results without being spotted by her husband. Soon, she was examined, poked, and other miserable things. When the doctor was done, she asked him what it was.

"I don't know."

That wasn't the right answer. "Where would I go to find someone who knows?"

"I don't know." He began mixing medicines. "You are not the first case, but I don't know what it is, and I don't know what is causing it. I will give you medicine to delay the illness, but..." He shook his head. "You will not recover."

She suddenly felt cold, taking in what he said. "What's going to happen to me?"

"You will bleed, but it will be a while. You'll slowly begin bleeding more, from your nose, gums, eyes, other orifices... It'll slowly get worse over time, and in a few years..."

"Yes?"

"You need to make arrangements for someone to take care of your children while you husband is away."

She frowned. "You mean... I...I'm not going to survive this?"

"No one does." Her heart sank as he continued, "It'll become painful, and you'll feel weak. At first, you'll be able to survive, but eventually...your body will not be able to handle the blood loss."

Her body felt colder. "No."

"You'll also need to take precautions not to infect others."

"How?"

"We don't know how it passes from person to person, so it's best not to touch anyone."

"My children? I-I can't hug them?"

"With every hug, you risk infecting them. In fact, you should have them brought in to make sure they are not already sick."

A wave of nausea moved through her, and it was all she could do not to throw up. She moved off the examining table as she began crying. She paid the doctor, who no longer would go near her, grabbed her belongings, and left. She began walking. She wasn't sure where she was going. She found herself on the edge, and she sat down on a bench.

It went from morning to noon, but no one bothered her. She noticed a little toddler, dancing in front of her. Yosuuf looked up at the sky, wondering to tell this to her family. She hugged herself, feeling afraid. She didn't want to die. More importantly, she didn't want her children to be sick.

Suddenly, little hands touched her leg, and bright eyes looked up to her. "Hi!"

Yosuuf jumped as she saw the smiling little girl. "Don't touch me!"

The girl cried and ran off. "Daddyyyyy!"

A man picked the little girl up. "Rosha, what's wrong?"

Yosuuf hugged herself and looked down, ignoring the small family. She wanted to go back home, but she felt too tired to ride. She found an inn and ended up falling asleep on a mat.

-Four Days Later-

Yosuuf had given Jerad the news. He now looked pale, and he hadn't said anything.

"Our children were examined, and they don't show any signs of being ill," Yosuuf added.

He still didn't say anything.

Yosuuf let several minutes pass before speaking again. "Can the Tok'ra heal this?"

He looked to her, looking sick. "I have no idea." He got up. "They don't give out free healing services."

"Most people don't."

"They'd want you as a host."

Her words were quiet. "They'd want me to leave with them."

"We'd lose you."

She felt tears. "Jerad, you have lost me. I-I can't touch you. I have the children asking me, 'Mommy, why won't you hug us?' The oldest ones understand, but... " She sniffled. "Th-they might be my only chance. Jerad, others have this sickness, and when the Tok'ra need hosts, they come here. If they talk to the others first..."

Jerad frowned and shook his head. "They won't. We leave the children with relatives. You'll go to work with me. When the Tok'ra come, you'll be one of the first ones they meet." He went to touch her, but she pulled back. "You'll stay at the inn. I'll stay by the prison."

Yosuuf nodded, though now she was scared at the idea. She knew she couldn't change her mind. Arrangements were made with the children, and she had to say goodbye without touching them. The journey was difficult, and she found she could fall asleep on the horse-like animal.

The wait was hard. She wanted her children near, but she knew that would make it harder. Over the next three months, Yosuuf took her medicines and slowly watched herself get worse. When the ring activated, she worried it would be other travelers. She wiped blood from her fingernails, rinsed out her mouth, and very carefully fixed her hair. She put on her best outfit and waited in her room in the inn.

A half an hour later, her husband came into the room with a male wearing beige. "Yosuuf, this is Malek. He's a Tok'ra."

Yosuuf stood up and approached. "Hello."

"Your husband says you are ill. There is a symbiote who may need a host. We are not sure at this time. You can come with me. If the host recovers, you can stay with us until the time come that someone else needs a host."

Yosuuf frowned. "What if I die first?"

"Our healers may be able to prolong the process of your illness. It would be better for them to look at you than me. Come."

Yosuuf and Jerad followed. It was quiet all the way to the stargate. Jerad wanted to hug her as Malek pushed on the strange looking rock, but he knew she'd not allow it. "I'm sure this symbiote will like you. She'll take good care of you."

"He," Malek stated as he touched the center of the DHD.

Yosuuf looked to him. "He?"

"The symbiote in question is named Lantash. He considers himself to be male."

Yosuuf felt nervous. "I might be partnered with a man symbiote."

"In a sense. Are you ready to meet him?"

She wasn't. She was afraid, and she looked to her husband.

"You'll be fine," he assured. "Come visit when you are healed. The children will be ready for hugs."

His words made her cry with longing. "Tell them I love them."

"I will."

"I love you too."

He reached out, pained that he couldn't make contact. "I love you."

Yosuuf went up the steps, unsure of this. This would be a lifelong partnership with a male. To her, it was more like a marriage than anything else. The rituals told to her by her mother came strong in her mind. A woman must not speak to her mate until she had bonded with him.

She felt nervous as she stepped through, and suddenly she felt dizzy and sick. On the other side, she began falling over. She jumped a bit when Malek caught her. "No. You can't do that. You'll get sick."

"I will make sure my host does not get sick." He helped her down the stairs.

"What is his name?"

"Ordon."

"Are you also male?"

"Emotionally, yes."

"How can a male one of you go into a female human?"

Malek smiled. "He'll adjust."

She gave a nodded and followed him. The walk wasn't easy, and when rings came out of the ground and pulled them in, she felt dizzy again. She continued to follow, though she wasn't sure she wanted to blend with a male Tok'ra. She wanted a female. It was only fair. After all, she was female.

Malek took her into a room, where a man was sitting up in a bed. "Hello Lantash. This is Yosuuf."

Lantash frowned. "I have not given up on Kibar."

"She knows this."

Lantash looked to Yosuuf. "I apologize. I feared he may have given you false hope." He waited a response, but she just nodded. "Have our healers seen you?"

She shook her head.

"Then one should see you soon. What planet are you from?" He frowned when she didn't speak. "What do you know about your illness?" When she didn't respond, he looked to Malek. "Is she mute?"

Malek was also confused. "She was talking before." She pulled her aside. "Are you nervous?"

"Tradition states that a female cannot speak to her future partner until they have bonded. I don't want to offend him."

"Tradition. That may be the tradition for your people, but that is not tradition here."

"He will not be offended?"

"No."

Yosuuf approached Lantash. "I am from Neeka. I do not know much about my illness. The doctor only knows the symptoms."

"Our healers may be able to delay the bleeding."

She briefly wondered how he knew that, but she saw her fingernails were bleeding again, which probably meant her gums were as well. She reddened and turned away from him.

"I did not mean to make you turn away." When that didn't work, he continued, "You're quite beautiful."

She was crying when she turned back to him. She moved closer to him. "I don't want to see so shallow, but I don't know what I offer the Tok'ra."

"Insight on how the minds of Neekans work, a string between our relationship with them, and certainly other things that will not be discovered until you are blended. What you do not know, you will be taught. People both younger and older than you have blended with us. They have adapted to our society, and they are invaluable." He paused briefly. "I need to retreat to heal Kibar, and he needs to rest."

She nodded, and she felt a shoulder on her hand. "So should you," Malek said. "I will bring you to the main infirmary." He gestured her to start down the hall. "Lantash, Kibar will be moved there as well, so that you both may speak with Yosuuf." He waited for acknowledgment before following. "One of our healers will examine both you and the medicine you have brought with you."

Yosuuf looked to him. "Is Neeka the first place you went?"

"It is the second place I went to. However, I was not the only one sent out to find a host for Lantash. We have sent a message to the others to return."

Yosuuf was taken to a bigger room with multiple beds. A Tok'ra waved a device over her, and she felt better. It wasn't long before Kibar and Lantash were brought in. She noticed that even in that short time apart, the host looked worse. She waited until she saw open eyes to speak. "Are you Kibar?"

"Yes."

"How are you doing?"

He looked to her. "I'm dying. He is realizing he cannot heal this."

"What happened?"

"Accidentally electrocuted. It has weakened us both. If you become his new host, he may not be able to heal you. He is very weak. You may both die."

"I have a couple years before I die. He can work on himself first."

Kibar smiled, but he became alert to the sound of running. The healer went to help as a woman on a stretcher was brought in. Her skin and clothes were burned.

Malek suddenly looked alarmed. "What happened?"

"Our Tel'tak was attacked by the Goa'uld. We barely escaped," answered a Tok'ra who was burned but able to walk.

The healer ran the same device he had used on Yosuuf over the burned woman. "Is Garshaw awake?"

"She is," answered the woman. She gasped for air between breaths. "She needs...a new host."

"Yosuuf," Malek took her arm and helped her off the bed. "You need to blend with Garshaw."

"What about Lantash?"

"She is a leader in the high council. She must survive."

The idea of blending with someone so important made her feel dizzy. "Leader?"

"If you do not wish to blend with her, we need to start-"

"I will," she interpreted. "I will." With this, Yosuuf was pushed closer to the woman. She jumped as her arm was grabbed, and the burned woman's eyes glowed. Yosuuf felt her skin grow cold, feeling like she was being inspected. "Garshaw?"

"You wish to become my host?"

"Yes."

"Lean towards me."

She did, and soon there was pain and the need to gag. She began falling, and she felt the others catching her and bringing her back to her bed. She felt Garshaw taking control and reaching out towards the host she just lost before giving control back to Yosuuf. The presence of Garshaw grew weaker, and Yosuuf was afraid to move. "Do I just lay here?"

"She would have retreated to heal you quicker," Malek answered. "If you were weaker, she would have made you sleep."

Yosuuf looked back to the previous host, who was now covered with a sheet. She wanted to cry over her loss. "You really do feel each other's emotions."

"We do."

She gave a nod. "I feel tired."

"You might still want to sleep. It will help her to heal you more quickly."

It wasn't hard to do. Garshaw aided her in this, and Yosuuf took to dreaming. When she woke up, Garshaw was in control and sitting next to her previous host. Yosuuf then wondered how Lantash was doing.

_Fortunately, the Tok'ra looking for a new host was not recalled when you were found. Someone new was found. _Garshaw looked across the room so Yosuuf could see a young woman talking to him. _Her name is Setta._

Yosuuf's guilt washed away. _Am I healed?_

_You are._

_Do you know how I became sick?_

_It was in your blood, but I do not know how it was transmitted. A illness such as what you had can be transmitted in a number of ways._

_Will I be able to say goodbye to my family?_

_Yes, after the funeral for my dilectus'compar. _It was a term of affection for her previous host. _We will see your family, and you will be able to hug them._

Yosuuf smiled to that.

_Then you will begin your training, both as a Tok'ra and a member of the high council._

Nervous, her smiled disappeared.

-Present-

"I'm less shy now," Yosuuf added.

"Yes, now she doesn't blush whenever she meets new people," Selmak teased.

She smiled. "After that, Jerad moved to Guarda, so that he and the children were always near when I came to visit. He raised them, with the oldest ones helping." She looked to Lantash. "I am glad they found Setta for you, though I now cannot imagine how my life would be different if we had blended."

He looked saddened. "You might have died young instead of her, but Garshaw would have likely died before Setta arrived. Setta would have died even younger than she did, and I would have never gotten to know her."

"How did she die?" Daniel asked, hoping Lantash wouldn't mind the question.

"Saving Martouf." He watched Daniel's eyebrows raise, and he had an idea of what he was thinking. "I would have died with her if he had not been willing to become my next host. She chose to die as a hero, and I would never betray her by regretting the choices she made." He thought of her, Kibar, and every other host. _I love them._

_We all love you_, Martouf replied.

"Now..." Yosuuf looked over to Einar. "No hiding behind Per'sus now. You have a story to tell."

Einar wanted to stay hidden, but he felt Per'sus push him into control. _You know it as well as I do._

_It's not my story_, Per'sus replied.

Suddenly one of the machines began beeping. Sam got up and began checking on it.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"A message." She brought it up. "It's coded...from the Tok'ra."

"It must be a general message," Per'sus added.

"It is..." Kela'an was quiet as Sam worked, wanting her to learn how to deal with these sorts of messages. "Need to decode this."

"Erinar can tell his story while we wait," Aldwin added.

Einar sighed. "Very well. Starting with my family. I...didn't know most of them..."

to be continued...


	7. Einar

(Roeskva, it's the same Rosha. I adjusted their ages and blending years for the little cameo. Thanks for the review.

MuseUrania, well, with this, it's a bit easy to read out of order. Glad to hear from you.

Ololon, thanks. I hope you continue reading the stories and Malek/Aldwin.)

Part 7, Einar

-1858, Planet Terrell-

Einar danced and hopped as he saw his older brother, Arrol, put butter on bread. "Mine!"

"Yes, this is for your birthday."

He wiggled until he was picked up and set down at the table. His legs kicked until the bread was set in front of him. Encourage by a growling stomach, he grabbed the piece, but Arrol told him to put it back down. He set it down and pouted. Also at the table was their sister, Delara.

Arrol sat down. "Today we give thanks to the harvest goddess, for giving us food to survive. We have been given enough for our little brother to make it to and celebrate his seventh birthday. Thank you."

"Thank you," Delara echoed.

"Thank you. Can I eat now?" Einar picked up his bread.

"Yes."

Einar ate the buttered side first. The crust was last, and he began chewing on it while his sister left the table, having finished her breakfast quickly. She was worried. "Our crops still need rain."

"We'll bring water from the river. We'll tend to the crops. Einar will find food in the city."

"I don't like sending him to the city to steal."

"He's good at it."

"If he gets caught..."

"I won't," Einar promised as he looked up from the table. "People never notice me. If they do, they just push me away without checking their pockets."

Delara began cleaning the table. "Einar, do you know what they do to orphans who are caught stealing?"

"They make them disappear, but I can do it. Today is a festival. They don't pay attention to me during those."

"...and we could make enough money to secure ourselves for the next month," Arral continued. "People are going to be too busy drinking to pay attention to a little boy. Einar, get ready."

Einar hopped out of his chair and ran off to his corner of the house. He had been taught what to wear to be the least noticed and be able to move away quickly. He used to steal with another brother, a year older than him, but he had died from the same head sickness that had claimed their father. Einar worked alone now.

He left the house with a goal in mind. He arrived in the city unnoticed. The grownups were too alert right now, but he was patient. As crowds formed, he disappeared into them. He snatched coin purses from those who were the least alert. He watched for signs of trouble as he hid his prizes.

He went back into the crowd, searching for food to take. It may have been dropped and left on the ground. It may be from a merchant who wasn't paying attention. Whatever it was, he found it and scampered away. He had places in the city where he stashed all these things until it was time to go home. If one stash was found, he'd only lose a portion of his work. When it was time, he put all the money in his own purse and dropped the stolen ones in the well. He had seen others make the mistake of keeping them. By the time they were found, he'd be gone, and the owners would already know they were robbed. He returned home with all the goodies and proudly displayed them on the table.

Arrol and Delara inspected everything. "Gold coins," Arrol said as he separated them from the rest. "I'll trade them in." He sighed softly. "We never get what they are worth."

"If you traded with honest people, they'd report that we have gold coins," Delara pointed out. "Everyone would know they were stolen, and we would be..."

"Disappeared?" Einar offered.

"Yes. 'Disappeared.'" She began putting away the coins. "Now clean yourself and go to bed. You're working on the farm tomorrow."

Einar gave a grunt of complaint before going to clean up.

-Five Months Later-

Einar pulled at his brother's arm. "Arrol. Arrol."

"Go to sleep." The young man was in bed.

"I have a headache."

Arrol suddenly sat up. "What?"

"My head hurts."

"How long?"

"I don't know. I woke up with it."

Arrol pulled his little brother into his lap and looked to him. "Do you feel dizzy?"

"No."

He waved his index finger in front of him. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"One."

"It's not blurry?"

"No."

Arrol put his hand on his forehead, though he didn't think that'd actually do anything. "Maybe it's just a headache." He held his brother as he stood. "Go to bed, and see if it's better in the morning." He laid his brother down and tucked him in.

Einar wiggled under the covers. "Goodnight."

In the next morning, his headache was was still there. It slowly disappeared throughout the day. At night, he was tucked in by both. He wiggled and went to sleep. It wouldn't disappear though. From time to time, the headache returned in the morning, slowly getting worse each time.

There was nothing his siblings could do. He stayed home more, helping with the farm. One day he carried the water over twice.

"Einar, we don't need more water."

"We still need to water the roots."

"They are watered. See?"

Einar looked and saw the wet dirt "Who watered them?"

His brother frowned in worry. "You did." He knelt down by him. "How are the headaches?"

"Sometimes, if I throw up, I feel better."

"Is the tea doing anything for you?"

He shook his head. "Can I hide?"

"Go hide."

Einar ran into their home and went to his bed. He covered his head to block the light. It wasn't the light that really bothered him. His vision was blurred at the moment, and it made his headache worse.

That night, as he woke up, it was his stomach that hurt. He couldn't go to the town as much, and the family suffered for it. It wasn't helping that he lost a portion of what he ate. He got out of bed, determined to find something to fill his stomach. He slipped out of the house and headed towards the river.

Unfortunately, the weather had been turning colder for some time, and the treats he could usually find under rocks were sparse. Still hurting, he dug into the earth by the river. He licked his fingers, and the pain was soon eased.

One day, his siblings found him laying in the little family graveyard. "Is this where you are going to put me?"

Delara knelt down by him. "You don't know you are going to die."

Einar sat up. "I was there when my brother died, and I heard you two saying father died the same way. Now I hear you two talking. You don't think I can hear you, but I can hear you!" His lip trembled slightly, and he wasn't sure if he was more angry or more scared. "I want to know where you're putting me."

They looked at each other, both feeling sick. Arrol finally spoke. "Is that where you want to be?"

"Yes."

"Then, if something happens to you, we'll put you there."

Arrol rolled and moved until he was on his parents' graves. "What were they like?"

"Very warm," Delara answered as she knelt by him. "They loved you very much."

"Did mother ever have headaches?"

"Probably normal ones, but she never had any like with the head sickness."

Einar laid back down. "I killed her."

"No."

"My birth." His siblings had always been honest with him. "They still loved me?"

"Mother's last request was to hold you. Does that not prove she loved you?" She watched Einar smile. "Father's last request was that we take care of you and..." She looked to the grave of her other little brother, biting her lip to not cry in front of Einar.

"We failed them both," Arrol said softly. Shaking his head, he walked away to hide tears.

Einar began spending more time at the graveyard after that. The area had scared him before, but now that it would be his home, he wanted to make it feel like a home. He decorated it with rocks, beads, and, when spring came, flowers. He outlined his section and often laid down in it while wondering what it was going to be like.

-Seven months after his first headache-

Einar smiled as he left the house. Today was one of the few days he didn't wake up with a headache. He could see there was also some sort of party in town. He got ready and left the house, forgetting to tell his siblings where he was going.

As he moved closer, he saw it was different from a normal festival. There was a lot more talking, but people still weren't paying attention. Einar went to robbing. He stole some coins and stashed them away. An hour later he decided to leave, but he forgot where he put the coins. He had never forgotten before, and he didn't want to come home without any.

He had to have money, so he took bigger risks. He felt confidant as he got away with the crimes. Then he stopped an elderly man, looking over some book. Edging closer, Einar reached out, finding a purse. Fingers grasped, and he pulled away. Suddenly, the man turned, taking a firm grip on the boy's arm. "Ahh! Let me go!"

The man looked over at him with annoyance. "Are you robbing me?"

The voice made him jump, and Einar's answer was quiet. "No."

Another pulled the stolen coin purse off the boy. "Now, I know this doesn't belong to you." This man also had a deep inhuman voice.

Someone else approached, this time a guard from the city. "What is going on here?"

"I'm innocent," Einar lied.

It didn't take long for the guard to realize the truth. "Thief! I knew it!" He grabbed Einar's other arm. "Off to jail with you!"

"Is he not a little young for that?" the elderly man asked, not releasing the boy to the guard.

"Normally he'd be taken to his parents, but this one is an orphan. Jail is his only option."

"Does he have any family?"

"I have none," Einar lied, tugging at his arms, wishing for escape.

"He has an older brother and sister." the guard looked to the boy, and his grip tightened. "They probably sent him out to rob."

"No! They didn't! They-!" Einar felt a sudden loss of his control. Released, he fell back, and his body shook. This was new, and he tried to cry out for his siblings. The two men with strange voices checked on him while everyone else was suddenly several feet away. The next thing Einar knew, he heard the guard yelling.

"Demon!"

He wanted to yell that he wasn't, but his heachache returned. Tears fell as he curled into himself.

"He's not a demon." The elderly man sounded annoyed. "He had a seizure."

"I've run a scan on him," the other one added. "He has a brain tumor."

"Is that what you call head sickness?" Einar's voice was muffled by his arms over his face.

"Yes, it would be a head sickness." The elder, with the help of the other, knelt down before helping Einar sit up. "Have you heard of the Tok'ra?"

"You trade with the people who have lots of money."

"Yes, that is one way of putting it... My name is Per'sus. This is Aldwin. How old are you?"

"Eight."

"A young age to be getting so sick."

"The head sickness took my father and other brother."

"I may have an offer for you, but it would involve a great change in your life. You might want your siblings around for the explanation."

"Am I going to be disappeared?"

"Not for this theft. I'll work something out with him." He gestured to the guard. "Can you stand?"

Einar stood, and he was soon leading the Tok'ra to his home. He didn't know what they wanted, but he was happy as long as he wasn't going to jail. At home, he found the house to be empty. He looked around before giving up and hiding in his bed.

"Where are they?" Per'sus asked.

"I don't know."

The answer arrived a few minutes later. They had gone to the city to look for him, only to return when told he had come back. They were surprised to find two strangers in their home. Arrol took a defensive posture, moving in front of his sister. "Who are you?"

"I tried to rob them," Einar answered, still hiding his bed.

"You've heard of the Tok'ra?" Per'sus asked.

"Yes."

"Then you probably know we need hosts. Your brother would make for a good host."

"I would?" Einar really had no idea what that meant, but being good for something was always nice to hear.

"He's too young," Arrol replied.

"He's also very sick, which is what makes him a good candidate."

"Aw." Einar pouted under the blanket. "I thought you liked me."

Per'sus looked to him. "Do you know what a host is?"

"Aren't they in charge of dinner parties?"

The Tok'ra smiled, and Aldwin replied. "That is not the type of host we refer to."

"What would you do with him?" Denara asked.

"He's be educated with the ways of the Tok'ra."

"What about our ways?"

"Your ways would have him in a jail for the rest of his life."

"So, if he doesn't agree, he'll go to jail?"

"No. I cannot protect him for any crimes he may commit in the future, but for this last crime, I will make sure he not punished. I want to hear his choice, not what he was scared into choosing."

The siblings looked to each other. "Einar?" Arrol called. "I think he'd explain the Tok'ra better than we could."

Einar climbed out a bed with a frown. "I was hiding from the pain."

Aldwin moved behind him. "Maybe I could help with that."

Einar looked up at him as he saw a device waved over. His headache began to disappear. "You fixed me!" He grinned.

"I'm sorry. I only took away the pain. This device cannot cure you."

Per'sus sat down and explained the Tok'ra to Einar. When he was sure the boy understood what he was saying, he continued. "I am the one who will soon need a new host. My current host is very old, and as much as I want to keep him alive, his body is starting to shut down."

"It's breaking?"

"Yes."

"You want to live here?" He touched the back of his neck.

"Yes."

"Aren't you bigger than the tumor-thing?"

"Yes, but I will not cause the damage the tumor causes."

"Will it hurt?"

"At first, but I will ease your pain."

"The life of a Tok'ra is not safe," Aldwin added.

Einar shrugged. That didn't mean much to a boy who had been planning his own death and had been threatened to be put in jail. "What will I do?" Then his expression suddenly lit up with joy. "I can farm for you!"

Per'sus smiled. "If we are to blend, I will step down from my position so that you may be educated and have time to grow."

"What do you do?" Arrol asked.

"I am the Supreme High Councilor of the Tok'ra." Per'sus watched three sets of eyes widen. "However, as I said, I will step down until you are old enough to lead with me."

"When do we blend?"

"Aldwin, how long can he survive?'

"We can slow the progress, but with his current condition, I believe it'd only be safe to push him a week. Tumors are unpredictable, and if you do not blend with him in that time, the damage to his brain may be irreversible or you may not be able to save him."

Einar whined at hearing he might only have a week to live.

Per'sus frowned as he looked down. "My host might have a few months left."

"His body may also shut down tomorrow."

Per'sus nodded. "He'd be living longer if he allowed me to keep him in bed." He was quiet for a moment, talking to his host. He turned to Einar. "Do you wish to become a host?"

"Yes."

"We need to leave then."

"We'll help him get ready," Arrol said.

The Tok'ra waited outside while Einar packed. He soon came out in new ragged clothes. Given how proud he was of them, and how his siblings told him not to dirty them, Per'sus realized they were probably his best clothes. He held a pack made from a tied up blanket, though it didn't look like it had much in it. "They say they can't go with me."

"I'm sorry. They can walk to the chapa'ai with us, but their travels must stop there."

Einar gave a small nod, and he soon followed. Several moments passed before he spoke again. "I'm scared."

"When you are my host, I will help ease your fear."

"Do you have kids to play with?"

"Currently, the youngest Tok'ra is almost twice your age." He watched Einar pout. "You will learn and adjust..."

More pouting.

"..and I am sure we can find something to entertain you."

Einar smiled. When they arrived at the stargate, he pounced his siblings. They lifted him up and hugged him together.

The ride through the stargate made him sick. His headache returned full force. Aldwin did his best to get rid of some of the pain before picking him up. "I want to hide," Einar whined. Tears streaked his cheeks.

"We'll find you a place to hide," Aldwin promised.

Einar held on to Aldwin and closed his eyes. The walk was long, and he was glad he wasn't the one doing it. There was a rush of sound, and he felt sick again. The brightness disappeared, and they said he was underground now. He peeked to see bright crystals all around them. He wondered how much they were worth before closing his eyes again. Beautiful crystals that provided light like candles. They had to be worth a lot. He heard Per'sus speaking in a strange language, and Aldwin soon spoke again. "They are going to make a room for you, so that you can hide. It will take several minutes."

He wondered how a room could be made in only minutes, but his head hurt too much to open and see. He was soon put into a bed, and he felt a blanket put over him. Then it slowly became darker. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes. He was still seeing double, but it didn't hurt as much in the dark. "You blew the crystals out."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Per'sus' host replied. "Now I need to rest." He put a hand on Einar's shoulder. "We need to talk soon." He gave a nod before leaving.

The first few days were unpleasant. Einar's headaches grew worse, and the Tok'ra couldn't ease them as well as he hoped. He spent most of his time in his little dark room. He got a better chance to meet Per'sus and his host, but his condition was getting worse. The healers didn't know if he'd make it the next four days.

It was time to blend.

Einar was both excited and sad. "I'm sorry you have to die."

"Do not worry about me. I've lived a long and productive life, and my memories will live on in Per'sus. For as long as he lives, a part of me lives."

Einar smiled a little, feeling better. He knew he was the reason this was being pushed. He hoped his mother had been this ready when it was her time to go.

"He will be sad, and you will feel it with him. He will take care of you though, and in time, you will learn to take care of him."

"I'll take care of Per'sus."

"Thank you."

"Are you ready?"

Einar nodded and climbed up on the bed. They were sitting up, and he knelt by them. "If you see my parents, can you tell them I love them?"

"I promise."

"Thank you." He gave a nod to himself. "I can do this." He watched the other lean closer, and soon he felt Per'sus. The pain was not was bad as he expected. His morning headaches had been worse.

Per'sus took control. He reached out to his former host, who was being taken away. "Take care of him."

"We will," Aldwin promised.

Per'sus laid down on the bed, which suddenly seemed very long. _Hello Einar._ He released control.

_I'll take care of you._

Per'sus would have smiled if he were still in control, feeling the child's honest need to help. _Go to sleep now. When you wake up, the headaches will be gone. _He felt Einar's doubt. _Trust me. Now close your eyes._

Einar pulled his blanket over himself and closed his eyes.

-Present-

Einar smiled. "Now we take care of each other." He touched his head. "The cancer, as you call it, is persistent. Per'sus has stopped many tumors before they had a chance to grow."

"What happened to your family?" Daniel asked.

"My sister was the only one who had children. I still visit their descendants." He paused briefly before looking to Martouf. "Would you be next?"

"They already know enough about me." He looked down as Iasis jumped out of the tank and into his large pocket. He smiled as she was very still. "Where did Iasis go?"

"Martouf, did you lose her?" Sam asked as she looked at the pocket.

"It would appear so."

"Well, you have to find her now."

Martouf patted himself, and he felt Iasis trying to discreetly wiggle away from his hands. "Maybe I'll wash these clothes first. I'll put the shirt in hot water-"

Iassis squealed in alarm and jumped out. "I'm here!"

Sam reached out and stroked her. "Iasis, why don't you give Amb some company?"

Iasis jumped off Martouf. Then she jumped towards Amb.

"Maybe you should help her," Jack sugguested.

Iasis gave a negative chirp before jumping on Amb, who began petting her. She was proud of doing it herself.

"What did she say?"

"'No,'" Martouf answered.

"I have the message," Sam announced. She had been working on it while Einar spoke.

Everyone looked to her.

to be continued...


	8. The Message

(Roeskva, thank you for the review.)

Part 8, The Message

"Part of it concerns Euhen," Sam replied. Her voice lowered. "No survivors." She heard steps moving closer towards her, and she knew it was Martouf. She soon felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's not safe for them to check on us yet-"

"Which means the Goa'uld are still above us," Garshaw added.

Sam glanced over to her. "They don't expect to find survivors here... Olokun is behind the attacks."

"Cordesh is always running to a system lord," Martouf said in disgust.

"He is working under Olokun, who appears to have some equipment left by Anubis. Cordesh identified a few spies, and Olokun has used the Ancient brain interlink device to gather more information."

"So, he's getting information every time he captures someone new." Jack stated.

Martouf held an expression of dismay. "Do you know what it does?"

"Yes, it accesses memories." His tone showed the sympathy he had for them in this situation.

"Yes, but do you know what it does to a_Tok'ra_?"

Jack knew he was missing something. He looked towards Daniel and Teal'c, wondering if they knew what Martouf meant. They seemed not to. "I figured it did the same."

"To the host, yes. The symbiote..." Venom filled his words. "The process of implanting the device crushes the symbiote. The host feels their soul mate die before being...left alone, captured, strapped down..._violated_ by that machine." He closed his eyes, and Lantash took control. "It was once done to a fellow Tok'ra while we were undercover."

Sam moved to hug him, and she felt him put an arm around her. "You couldn't help..." She didn't know the details, but she was sure they couldn't.

"Anubis figured out the location of our base, how not to be detected. We had to let the Tok'ra know."

"Anubis never suspected you?" Daniel asked.

"Either that or he didn't notice us to begin with. I don't know which it was... We realized that a fellow Tok'ra had been captured. We sent the message. It was all we could do."

Jack frowned. "You didn't help him?"

His eyes flared. "If we had risked going near him, if he had seen us, that information would have been downloaded into the computer. Martouf and I would have been caught. If we didn't send that messages, many Tok'ra would have died, and if I remember correctly, you were on the base at the time."

"So was I," Aldwin added.

"The host was killed as soon as Anubis was finished." Knowledge that gave him both regret and relief.

"I would imagine they'd be eager to use that device on a member of the high council," Garshaw added.

"Which means..." Per'sus looked upward. "It's going to be a long time before they give up. We're going to be here for a while."

"Is there anything we can do?" Jack asked, wanting to do something to help their situation.

"No. If they detect any signs of life, it will make them all the more determined. We need to wait it out. We'll have to collapse the tunnels if we detect them getting closer."

"We can go lower," Jack suggested.

"We're lower than the Tok'ra have ever gone," Aldwin informed. "We are not exactly at a safe level now."

"Good to know." Jack was irritated that after being here for almost a week, he was learning that now.

Lantash sat down and picked up Iasis, holding her close. "Tok'ra are suffering."

"We cannot help them," Malek said. He looked to Sam. "Is there anything else in the message."

"No." Sam knelt next to Lantash.

It was quiet for several minutes, to the point where it was getting uncomfortable. Jack finally spoke up. "So, we are just going to wait here?"

"We can still pass the time with stories of how we blended," Aldwin said. "I believe it was Martouf turn."

Lantash looked up. "He's not in the mood, but I can tell you Rosha's story." It would be a good way to get his mind off reality for a while.

to be continued...


	9. Rosha

(Thank you for the reviews, Roeskva, MuseUrania, Dinopoodle, and SG4ever. Wow, looking at when you reviewed, I didn't realize how long it's been. I hope this makes up for it.)

Part 9, Rosha

-1883, Back to Planet Neeka-

"Who are they?" A six year old Rosha pointed towards those in beige.

"Tok'ra," her friend answered.

"They are the ones with things in their heads?"

"Yes. Shhh. If they hear you say that. They'll get mad."

Rosha covered her mouth.

"They take away the sick and the injured."

"What do they do with them?" Rosha whispered.

"They crawl into their brains."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwww!"

One of the Tok'ra stopped by and looked towards them. "Hello."

Rosha screamed and ran away.

As the years passed, she had a better understanding of the Tok'ra. They came to her planet every year to trade or look for a host. It was always her city-state they went to. Her people liked visitors, so there was a celebration every time they came. People danced. There was music. A feast was made. Rosha was determined that this year, she'd go up and say hello.

Every year she failed.

She was more nervous each year, and she realized she'd never meet one. It didn't matter though. She had bigger concerns. Her parents were looking for a husband. She hated this. She had no doubt her parents would do their best to pick a good man, but even if they picked the kindest man on Neeka, it didn't mean she'd like him.

The choice was delayed, but there was no getting out of it. When she was eighteen, her parents had found a man. Rosha spent her days in worry while they were off negotiating with him. "Do you like your husband?" she asked her friend, who had recently married.

"Yes. He's been a good husband."

"My cousin isn't happy with hers." Rosha frowned as she folded laundry. "She cowers now, and she's quiet."

"Your parents would not pick such a husband for you."

"She thought the same." Rosha thought about when her cousin used to smile.

"Her parents were fools who were bribed with gold. The first time any of us saw him, we knew he'd not make a good husband."

Rosha nodded, remembering. It had been her cousin's wedding, and the man had spent the day treating his wife like a new trophy.

"You will marry soon, and then your sister."

"No one has been found for her yet." Rosha looked to her younger sister, Lil, who was scrubbing the floor of their porch. "Our parents are protective of us." She looked down, knowing the reason. Most her older siblings had died before she was born. The others died when she was young, and she only remembered her sister.

"It's getting late. I need to be returning home."

Rosha gave a nod.

"Don't worry about it." Her friend smiled before leaving.

Rosha continued with the laundry.

-A Few Months Later-

"It's time to meet him?"

"Yes, and if everything goes as planned, a wedding date will be set," Rosha's mother replied.

"Hopefully, next spring," her father added with a smile. "Tomorrow is the meeting. Be ready in the morning."

Rosha knew what that meant. She had to look pretty. There wasn't much else to do. She wasn't to speak. It wouldn't be an easy challenge. Getting ready was fine. Getting ready, then having to ride to the another city-state and still look pretty wasn't.

She prepared as much as she could the night before going to bed. She didn't sleep well, and various men haunted her sleep. Some were ugly. Others were mean. A few were just disgusting. She was up early the next morning, and she was happy to escape her dreams. Her sister helped her to get ready.

"I'm jealous," Lil admitted.

"For what reason?"

"I want to meet my future husband."

"You don't have one yet.'

"I'm only two years younger than you. I'm ready to marry."

Rosha smiled. "I wish I could have your attitude."

"You'd be calmer."

"I would."

Lil smiled before giving Rosha a bag. "You can use this to pretty yourself before the meeting. Mother will help you."

"Thank you."

"Good luck."

They hugged, and Rosha left. She went out and climbed on a horse-like animal. "What is going to happen?" she asked as the animals began moving.

"You will get to see each other, and we'll talk to him," her father answered.

"Do not worry," her mother added. "He'll find you to be lovely."

The ride took nearly all day. They left their lovely forest and entered a desert. Rosha didn't like it. She liked her city-state. She liked the people. She liked the visiting Tok'ra. She'd be leaving all of that. This place had a different leader, different laws, and different customs. She'd have to learn it all.

Upon arriving, she fixed herself up and followed her parents to what would be her new home. It looked well enough, though the structure was different than what she was used to. It was a bulky adobe hut rather than a beautiful hut of wood, leaves, and leather. They entered, and she found herself looking at a nice looking man.

Her father spoke. "Rosha of Guarda." He gestured to her before gesturing to the man. "Korlo of Nirash."

Rosha bowed her head as she felt him looking over her. She was doing the same with him, analyzing everything. He was cleaned up, dressed well, and she knew he had prettied up as she had.

"She is beautiful," Korlo said, unable to speak directly to her.

Rosha reddened, and she listened as her parents gave her praise. It made her feel like an object they were trying to sell. She learned little about Korlo, except that he was a spear maker. She wondered if he made anything else. When they were done talking, he invited them to eat dinner.

"My sister made us a lovely meal," Korlo said as he sat everyone down before sitting himself. The food had already been served, and his sister had left. "The food is a little cold now."

Rosha bit into some bread.

"So, this spring?" her mother asked. "It gives us eight months."

"I will finish my payment by then, and I am fixing my house to fit the standards of a woman of Guarda."

Rosha felt guilty for having judged his home, though he'd never know it. She dipped her bread into the now cold soup. Her parents continued talking to her betrothed. It was basically more of the same. After dinner, it was time to sleep. Korlo put down blankets and pillows before leaving the house.

Rosha could finally speak. "Where did he go?"

"He is staying with his brother's," her father answered. "Go to sleep. We are getting up early."

Rosha laid down. "I feel as though we have kicked him away from his own home."

"It would be improper for him to share the same roof as you before the wedding."

She closed her eyes, still feeling as though he was kicked out. It felt like it was suddenly morning, and her mother was prying her up. They ate bread that was left for them, and they were gone before Korlo returned.

-Five Months Later-

Rosha watched as Tok'ra ate at a table. "I'll miss them."

"You mean, you'll miss staring at from a distance," Lil replied.

"Yes."

Lil smiled. "Do you know how much he is paying for you?"

"Two pieces of gold, three livestock, and a dozen poultry."

"That seems low."

"It is," Rosha agreed.

"Are you insulted?"

"No. They had higher offers, but they did not think those men would treat me well."

Lil smiled. "You must be happy."

"No."

"Unhappy."

Rosha sighed. "I don't know."

"You do not like marriage."

She smiled. "It's not that. I see many people who are happy after marriage, and I would like to have that."

"Is there something wrong with Korlo? Is he ugly?"

"No. If I picked a man, I might have picked him."

"Then what is wrong?"

"The problem is...I didn't pick him. I haven't even spoken to him. I met him once and listened to him and our parents talking about me as though I wasn't there."

Lil looked at her for a few moments before walking away. Rosha knew she didn't approve. She knew her little sister was jealous and wanted to be in her place. Her mind went to her wedding. She did look forward to that. She imagined it would be beautiful. She wasn't part of the planning, but she knew how weddings were. Then she wondered who she would be marrying if she had picked herself. She imagined a handsome man. He'd be kind and gentle, but also strong. Perhaps they've even talk before getting married.

"Hello."

The deepness of the voice made Rosha jump. Leaving her thoughts, she looked up to see a woman looking at her. _A Tok'ra. It's a Tok'ra! I can't believe it! _"H-hello."

The woman held an expression of arrogance and strength."You dropped your spoon."

Rosha looked down and saw her spoon on the floor. She picked it up and put it back on her table. "Thank you." Her words were abrupt, higher than normal, and she had turned red.

"I've seen you before," the Tok'ra said, which turned Rosha redder. "You always stare at us."

Rosha felt her stomach flipflop. _She noticed?_ "I-I'm sorry." What does one say to that? "I...um. Well, y-you don't have to worry about that any-anymore. I'm getting married next spring."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"That doesn't explain why you always stare at us."

"Uh."

"What's your name?"

"Rosha."

"I am Lantash." He gestured to himself. "My host is Setta."

"She's pretty," Rosha blurted before suddenly feeling like that was the stupidest thing she could have said.

"We think so," and her expression changed to prove it was possible to look more arrogant.

Maybe it was the right thing to say.

It was quiet for a few seconds, and her mind went over a dozen things to say. None of them were right. Lantash spoke again. "I thought it was time for you to learn the names of those you stare at."

Rosha wished she'd stop briging that up. "Lantash and Setta."

"And Jolinar and Kara," Lantash added as he gestured towards another female Tok'ra.

Rosha couldn't tell which one was in control, but whoever it was, she was dancing around the square. "Oh. Um."

Lantash nodded her head, and everything about her expression and postured softened. Setta was in control. "You do not have to be nervous."

Rosha looked over. "Oh."

"He's quite nice once you get to know him."

"He?"

"Lantash."

Rosha frowned. "Lantash is a he?" Her curiosity increased, and she found herself wishing he was in control again.

"Not physically, but mentally. Does that make sense?"

"For a Tok'ra."

"I'm only his second female host." The music stopped, and Setta looked away. "It's time to trade." She nodded her head. The arrogance and deep voice returned. "Perhaps you can be here next year and approach us."

"Oh?" Her skin prickled. "You wouldn't mind?"

"No. We wouldn't mind. Perhaps you could dance with us."

Rosha smiled.

"Goodbye Rosha." Lantash left before Rosha could give much of a reply.

Rosha kept trying to look at the Tok'ra as she finished her meal. It was late by the time she was done, and she went home. She found her sister was already asleep. As she prepared to sleep, she found herself wondering what a male Lantash would be like. After going to bed, her dreams had many answers for her. She liked all of them.

-Two Months Later-

Rosha woke up and found Lil dancing around her. "Happy birthday!" Lil pounced.

Rosha smiled. "Thank you."

"You're getting old."

"I'm only nineteen."

"Old."

Rosha smiled.

"Mother says they have started looking for my husband."

"You must be excited."

"I am!" Lil hopped. "Maybe he'll be in Nirash. Then we would live in the same area."

"That would be nice."

Lil rolled out of bed. "Up."

Rosha eased out of bed. In the main room, she found a special breakfast made for her.

"Look." Her mother brought out a dress. "Your wedding dress."

"It's beautiful."

"You need to try it so I can make adjustments."

"After my chores." She was not eager to get into it. She ate breakfast quickly and grabbed a basket before leaving. Outside, she climbed up on a high platform to gather some fruit from a tree. She began dropping them into the basket.

Movement below got her attention. People were moving around more quickly. Rosha was curious, and she was about to come down when she saw Lil coming up. "What's going on?"

"The Tok'ra have come."

"This isn't their usual time."

"They need a host." Lil climbed up and began picking fruit.

"A host." Rosha looked down, and she felt an odd sense of jealousy. "Who is going to be the host?"

"No one was found. They are being sent away."

Rosha watched below. "That's unfortunate." She felt happy, but she also felt that she couldn't do anything about it. "It must be interesting to be a Tok'ra."

"Dangerous."

"Yes."

"Mind if I put fruit in your basket?"

"They wouldn't have to marry a stranger." Rosha watched as what must be Tok'ra pass the platform.

"Instead, a stranger is put in their heads."

"Yes, but they chose to blend."

"It's not much of a choice."

"It's more than I have." Rosha kept watching, moving closer to the edge. She felt a sense of panic "They are leaving."

"Yes."

"They can't." Her mind raced, and without much thought, she found herself going down the ladder. "No."

"What else are they going to do?"

"A choice..." What was she going to do? Walk up to them? What would everyone think? Her parents would be furious!

Lil noticed her sister was missing. "Where are you going?" She headed to the ladder.

Rosha jumped.

"Rosha!"

Everything seemed to move slowly. The tree tops were getting farther away, and Rosha looked to the platform as she fell. While feeling almost free, she felt a sudden wave of sickness as she realized she wasn't landing as soon as she thought she would.

"Rosha!" Lil climbed down after her sister.

The hit was hard. Her feet seemed to barely touch the ground before the rest of her landed, and Rosha found her breath was gone. People rushed around her as she tried to find it. Various orders were given.

"Relax."

"Breathe."

"Stay awake."

The world moved around her, and she felt felt like she was laying down with her feet higher than her head. Her body ached, but her head was the worse. Tears fell. It wasn't supposed to hurt this much.

A deep inhuman voice stood out from others. "Don't move her."

Rosha watched as the owner knelt by her. "Tok'ra."

"I am." He ran some device over her. "You need a stretcher to be moved."

"My hair feels sticky."

"It's blood." The Tok'ra put the device down. "You can join the Tok'ra. We can heal you."

Lil had climbed down. "She's to be married."

"Tok'ra." Rosha tried to remember if that had been established or not.

"Do you wish to become a host?"

Rosha tried to sit up, but she was held down. "Host."

"Do you wish to become a host?" the Tok'ra repeated.

"Yes."

"Rosha, your wedding!" Lil exclaimed before looking to the Tok'ra. "Cant you heal her?"

Rosha felt herself being moved and lifted on a stretcher. People around her spoke, but their voices became distant. She felt like she was floating in the air. Soon, she heard a whoosh, and the world swirled even more. Feeling sick, she sat up.

The movement stopped. "You need to lay down."

Rosha still felt sick as she laid back, and she felt the movement continue. Desert was all around them, and the air was hot. She looked up at the man carrying the head of the stretcher. "I...Rosha."

"Hello Rosha."

"Is the...marriage over?"

"I don't know. Close your eyes."

Rosha closed her eyes, and she heard strange sounds around her. She opened her eyes and found they were suddenly indoors again. "How did you do that?"

"You'll understand soon."

"It's cold."

"That will be fixed."

Rosha was taken near a bed. She looked around and saw a familiar woman, who was covered in blood. "Kara?" Rosha sat up again.

The Tok'ra were still holding the stretcher. "This is Rosha. She's a Neekan."

"She is needed now."

Rosha was moved closer, and other Tok'ra came to ease her on to the bed with Kara. "I-I fell."

"Jolinar will take care of you."

"I saw you dancing."

Kara smiled. "You'll be the next to dance with her." She sat up, with help, and leaned into Rosha. "Close your eyes and relax."

Rosha complied, and she a brush against her lips. Then she felt as if something crawled into her mouth, and it was followed by pain. She felt sick again, and she lost conscious.

Rosha found herself noticing beautiful crystals.

_You could have died._

Rosha blinked and rubbed her head. "What?"

_Jumping. You hit your head. You could have died._

Rosha sat up. _I wasn't planning on hitting my head. _She had just wanted to hurt her legs.

_Why didn't you simply get their attention and ask to be Tok'ra?_

_I was afraid. _She felt embarrassed. _It would be a betrayal, but if I was injured..._ Rosha hugged herself. _I'm sorry._

_You didn't do anything wrong towards me. You saved my life._

Rosha smiled.

_I think I'll leave you alone in a room with Lantash and Malek. You won't be so shy after that._

Rosha's eyes widened.

Jolinar was amused, but her mood turned serious. _Do you know what they did with Kara?_

_No._

_I need to find her. I need to give her a proper goodbye before the funeral._

Rosha shared the same need, the same grief. _We'll find her together._

-Present-

Jack was surprised. "She jumped?"

"Yes," Lantash answered. "I wouldn't recommended it, but she felt it was the only way out without disappointing her parents."

"What happened to Korlo?" Daniel asked.

"He and Lil married. It was strange for them at first, especially when they met me. I blended with Martouf a few months after that, and Rosha and I married a year later." Lantash gave control to Martouf, who smiled. "He was jealous of me at first, but I don't think he ever knew that she fell on purpose. It didn't matter later. He and Lil became very happy with each other."

"It's a little strange that she got away from a marriage to marry a year later," Daniel said.

Sam smiled. "Martouf and Lantash are hard to refuse." She felt herself hugged. "Now, who's turn is it?"

"Gete's," Malek suggested, but his tone was almost demanding as he looked to Gete.

"Another day," Garshaw said. "It's getting late."

Gete smiled and hugged Malek. "Another day."

to be continued...


	10. Gete

(Roeskva, thank you. Glad you enjoyed Rosha's story.  
Akaylah, aw, nice new name. Thanks.  
MuseUrania, thanks, yeah, the show seemed to forget about her, but she lives in fan fiction.

A minor note, because I'm a dork, if you've read New Life, the music box mentioned here is suppose to be the same one mentioned there.)

Part 10, Gete

-1906, Planet Rire-

A sixteen year old Gete smiled as his sister lectured him about putting his shoes on the table. He responded by hitting his heel on the top so that more mud would fall.

"Is that any way for the future Lord of Ringkeeper to act?"

"Yes."

"Are you prepared for tomorrow?"

"To ride out and spend more time with my betrothed." Something he wasn't looking forward to.

"Tala is beautiful."

"Yes, she's beautiful." Gete replied, clearly annoyed. She was. He wouldn't deny that. She was elegant and dainty, as women were supposed to be. Her dark hair was always woven into intricate weaves on top of her head. Her eyes were dark, enticing many other noble men. Her skin didn't seem to have one blemish. She was always dressed with layers of delicate fabric, made to enhance her form while hiding skin.

None of that changed the fact that she was female. He had already learned and accepted that he preferred males. It was his secret. People would say it was a sign of weakness. Gete didn't believe it, but he knew he had to keep quiet about it. Sons were disowned over such things. He knew his father would do the same. He'd lose everything: his title, his land, his land, the family name, and the love and protection of his family.

"The only girl. I can't imagine," his sister said.

"That's because our parents gave you six sisters." Gete took his feet off the table and leaned closer. "Seven sisters and five brothers. My family is too large."

"Be glad I'm female. Otherwise, I'd be the future Lord of Ringkeeper."

Gete stood up. "I am." He began leaving.

"Where are you going?"

"To study." He left the room, and he headed to his room. He found the books he was to read and fiddled through them before picking one. He was going to be tested after his trip, and he wanted to be ready.

The next morning, Gete took his horse and rode away. The trip itself would take a few days, and many guards came with him. He took his time getting there, enjoying the ride. He wasn't in a hurry to see Tala. However, he was expected to arrive on a certain day, and he couldn't be late. As he arrived at the city, a messenger rode ahead to announce him.

Arriving at the estate, he went to meet his future father-in-law. "Lord Tel."

"Lord Gete. I trust your journey was safe."

"It was, my lord."

"We thought you'd arrive this morning. If you cannot command a horse to ride quicker, how do you expect to command a city?"

Gete was annoyed. Once his father retired, he'd outrank his father-in-law. His daughter was marrying up, and the arrogant man seemed to forget that at times. "It seems to be an error on the part of the messenger," Gete replied, knowing the runner worked under Tel. "I arrived as I planned."

"Send the horse away and come see my daughter," Tel replied as he gestured to the stable boy.

"I'll put the horse in," Gete replied.

"Your horse will be treated well."

"Like my message?" Gete asked before giving the horse a kick and riding off. He headed for the stables, wanting a reason to delay the meeting. He found a stall for the horse. He began brushing the stallion when he heard someone come in. He turned and saw what must have been one of Tala's brothers.

"You are the one marrying my sister?"

He was handsome. A masculine version of Tala. Gete smiled. "I am Lord Gete."

"I am Tovol."

"No lord?"

"Why bother? I am the last of nine sons. What will I inherit? A title alone means nothing."

"Then you have no family?"

"A wife. Naldel of Meadowside" he replied with disapproval. "A wife with many brothers, so I cannot even hope to inherit her city, pathetic as that city may be."

Gete noticed the bitterness in his voice. "I am sure you will find some sort of future." He began heading out, and he was followed. "Do I have a shadow?"

"You cannot be alone with my sister. It would be improper."

"Your father sent you."

"Perhaps I volunteered."

"I get the impression you do not care about what is proper or not." He didn't mind someone looking like Tovol following him around. He had a couple guards he took everywhere for similar reasons.

"You think you know me already?" Tovol smiled.

"I'm figuring it out." Gete smiled in return, but that faded when they were approached.

"Lord Gete." Tala smiled and did a small curtsy.

Gete put on a happy face. "The Lady Tala is as beautiful as ever."

"Thank you, my lord. I was hoping we could go horseback riding, but I see your horse is already away."

"If your father does not mind, we could ride. We have your brother to shadow us."

"A shadow you will not notice," Tovol added, though that was discovered to be a lie. During the ride, he began moving his horse before Gete's.

Gete had no choice to do the same. He couldn't be outdone by the ninth son of Tel. Bit by bit, the horses were ordered to go faster, and it didn't take long before they were galloping. The path narrowed, and Gete drove his horse to get ahead. He gave a victory laugh as his stallion took first. He followed the path, but realized Tovol disappeared. Suddenly the man was ahead, coming off a rougher but straighter path. The road ended by the side of a steep cliff, and Gete was annoyed. "You cheated!" he yelled as soon as the horses had stopped.

"I never prevented you from taking the other path."

"I didn't know about it."

Tovol smiled. "Then we shall have a rematch. I know of another path-"

"With another shortcut I do not know about? Perhaps we should have a rematch in Ringkeeper."

"Am I invited then?"

"Your sister comes to marry me in a few months." Gete looked around. "We seem to have lost her."

Tovol eased down his horse. "Then we shall wait for her."

Gete did the same. "She has not lost us?"

Tovol moved closer, closer than most would. His arm brushed against Gete's causing his skin to shiver. "You sounds almost...hopeful."

Gete felt as if the other man's eyes lingered over him. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not. "No. Of course not."

"We could always continue racing." His tone was hard to read.

"I..."

Tovol leaned in closer. "You've lost your words." He smiled, and the moment lingered. Suddenly, the sound of hooves filled the air, and he pulled away.

Gete's heart fluttered, and though he didn't know it, the tips of his ears were red. "Lady Tala."

She came around the corner. "You ride quickly, my lord."

"Y-yes." Gete cleared his throat and stood straighter. "Perhaps we should head back."

"You can meet all my brothers and sisters." She smiled and turned her horse.

Gete couldn't bring himself to look at Tovol as he got back on his horse, but he stole glances on the ride back.

Over the next few days, Tovol's behavior was the same. Gete couldn't bring himself to be alone with him, but Tovol managed to find ways. Each time, he stood closer than he should, and he made many accidentally brushes against Gete that left shivering skin. It left him both excited and afraid.

Finally, as he packed, Gete suddenly found himself alone with Tovol. "Come to bid be a farewell?"

"I was thinking about our upcoming race."

"Before the wedding."

"I believe I can come sooner...if I am invited."

Gete's mind whirled. "You... You should see the home...since Tala will be living there. Give your approval."

"See if you will give her a proper home."

"Y-yes."

He leaned in. "Soon then."

"Yes. Of-of course."

Tovol pulled away. "I will see you soon then."

Gete's mind screamed. "Soon." He wanted the other man close again, but he was too afraid to do anything himself. His breath seemed caught as he watched the other man leave. "Tovol?"

"Yes?" The man grinned as he turned back.

"When are you expected?"

His eyes looked disappointed, but it flashed by so quickly, Gete wasn't sure. "I'll send word beforehand." He left the room.

-Two Months Later-

Gete paced in his room. Two weeks ago he had gotten word that Tovol was coming today. Now he was nervous. He wondered if he had truly imagined everything. Maybe it had even all been a dream.

A servant entered the room. "He has arrived."

"Thank you." Gete swiftly moved down the steps. He went outside, and he waited by the Great Ring that their town was named for.

Tovol arrived on the same horse he had raced on. He stopped and got off the stallion. "Lord Gete."

"Lord Tovol."

He looked in to the ring. "The very thing that makes your city so famous."

"The reason we are favored by the king."

Tovol was clearly impressed with it, and he moved up the steps. "The first to deal with traders. Have you ever met any?"

"My father usually deals with offworlders."

Tovol looked back to him. "I would have thought the king would have wanted this in his castle."

"A king once built a castle around it...a few thousand years ago. The castle fell when the travelers were not traders, but invaders...Jaffa. They killed him, and his kingdom fell. Our king and his ancestors have not made the same mistake." Gete looked to the ring. "My ancestors were ordered to watch over it, but we have also learned. That is why it is in our yard, not our home."

Tovol looked at it for a moment before turning to him. "We have a race to settle."

"I'll send for my horse." Gete gestured to a servant who left.

"Good. I'm looking forward to beating you again."

"Perhaps you should use a fresh stallion."

"I'll trust my own. He's up for a race." The man reached over and tenderly rubbed his horse's neck. I was sure not to rush him, and he has rested enough.

Gete gave a nod, and soon his horse was there. He gestured where they'd be heading before getting on his horse. They soon arrived at a near forest. "The path is easy enough to follow. It goes to a lake that sits in the middle of the forest.

"The lake is our goal?"

"Yes."

Tovol smiled. "Tell me when we start."

"All right...now!"

The horses were ordered to run. Gete tried to get up ahead, but they was even. The lake was coming up. Gete kept his pace, then urged his horse faster. He took the lead and managed to keep it until the horse was partway into the lake.

Tovol laughed as he caught up. "Enjoying the water?"

Gete steered his horse out of the water and climbed down. "Yes." The legs of his pants were soaked, but he wasn't going to admit that it bothered him.

"I was expecting you to disappear on some hidden path."

"I don't cheat. I..." Gete trailed off as Tovol was close enough. "Uh... Well, do you..." He stopped, and he felt the slightest brush against his lips. It left a vibration, and he couldn't move. "T-Tovol."

Tovol leaned in and kissed him.

Gete closed his eyes, unable to move at first. He slowly moved his hands up Tovol's sides.

Bliss.

His skin tingled as Tovol pulled away. Not wanting this to end, he pulled the other man forward. His fingers worked into Tovol's hair, and the man returned the favor, leaving trails of fire across his skin. When they were finished, Gete could barely breathe. He looked up to Tovol. "My first kiss."

"Really? You are-" He gave a small kiss. "-very-" Another small kiss. "-good."

"Thank you." He almost whispered. "How long will you be staying?" He continued brushing his fingers through Tovol's hair. Look, but don't touch. That's how had been been. Gete never wanted to live like that again.

"I'm not entirely sure." Tovol leaned and breathed hot air on Gete's neck and ear. He whispered, "Long enough to show you many other things we can do together."

Gete felt his breath leave again. "O...kay."

Tovol smiled.

As the days passed, Gete enjoyed every moment alone with Tovol. Already, they were plotting ways for Tovol to return, though Gete was saddened that Tovol's wife would be coming next time.

Time passed too quickly. The day of the wedding arrived. Gete paced in his room.

"You look well enough," Tovol assured.

"I have to dance. I hate dancing."

"I think that's the least of your worries."

Gete looked to him. "Right. _Tonight._"

Tovol gave Gete herbs. "Make a tea from these. Don't let anyone see you."

"Thank you." Gete took the herbs and hid them.

"The main thing Tala wants tonight is gentleness." Tovol smiled. "I know you can be gentle."

"You are sure?"

"I overheard her talking with my sisters." Tovol chuckled, though he blushed a bit. "I left quickly when I realized what they were talking about."

Gete leaned into him. "Well, you suffered for my knowledge."

Tovol hugged him. "After today, I will not have much reason to come."

"I've been thinking about that." Gete looked up to him. "Soon, my father will want me to pick advisors."

"I'm sure he expects you to pick your brothers."

"Part of the reason I'm marrying your sister is to keep good relations between our cities. Picking you as an advisor is another way that cannot be argued."

Tovol smiled, and his hug tightened. "Oh Gete!" It was more than he had ever hoped for.

"I love you," Gete blurted, then suddenly blushed.

Tovol stilled, then smiled. "I love you too." He kissed him. "Now go out and marry my sister."

Gete nodded and began leaving.

"Wait."

Gete turned back.

"There is something. Naldel just told me this morning. You should know... She's pregnant."

Gete frowned. It was probably insane, but he felt jealous. "Congratulations." He realized that he too easily let himself forget about the wife.

"I would like our children to be close."

Gete smiled. "That would be nice." He was jealous, no matter how foolish it was. He'd be having his own children. They had no other choice. "I would like that." He left, knowing Tovol was going to stay behind a few minutes before following. Rituals to hide they were together were forming. They both had to be careful.

He was found by one of his brothers. "Ready to get married?"

Gete nodded. "Yes."

-Six Months Later, 1907-

Gete hurried down the halls. It had been a busy week. His father had told him he'd be retiring soon. Gete would be taking over, and that meant a great deal of studying. He also learned his wife was pregnant. Now, he was heading over to Tovol, who was waiting in a hall while his wife gave birth.

Tovol was pacing in the hall, and he rushed over. "Gete!" His voice quivered, and his eyes were red. He hugged him, not caring who saw.

"What happened?"

Tovol pulled away and closed his eyes. "They're gone. They..." His voice faltered, and he went to his knees.

Gete saw a servant nearby. "Leave us." He looked down to Tovol. "Your family?"

"Something was wrong. They said she bled too much, and the baby. My baby!" He shook his head. "They wouldn't let me... They took it away, and I can't even see it! I don't know if it's a boy or girl." He looked to Gete. "How can I name my child if I...if I don't know?"

Gete knelt down to be on the same level. "Give it a name that could be either."

Tovol sniffled. "I... Nal."

"Nal is good." He paused briefly. "Have you seen Naldel?"

He looked down. "I haven't been able to go in to the room." He looked back to Gete. "I love her. Not the same way I love you, but I do love her."

"Let's see her. I'll go with you."

Tovol nodded, and they stood. Tovol made his way into the room, and he found his wife on the bed. He ordered the servants away before laying next to her. "Naldel... I'm sorry. I wasn't the best husband. I ignored you in a ways a wife should not be ignored. You never knew the reason. You'll learn it now." He glanced to Gete. "We were good friends though. I enjoyed all of our talks." He sniffled. "Our baby is named Nal. I hope you approve."

Gete sat down and waited. He listened to Tovol talk for a while. When he was done, he approached Gete. "She started out as an obligation, but she became a friend."

"A good friend."

"Yes, but... I will never remarry."

"You father will not approve."

"I don't care." He shook his head. "I did what I had to do for him. It's done. No more wives." He knelt down since Gete was still sitting. "Your children will be my children."

Gete took his hand. "We'll be sure to tell them about Nal."

Tovol sniffled as he nodded. "They would have been like siblings."

"They'll need a place to visit Nal."

Tovol shook his head. "Children who are stillborn are never given graves."

"Do you want Nal to have a grave?" Gete watched Tovol nod. Gete gave him a quick and soft kiss. "Then we'll have one for it."

"Thank you."

-Three Years Later, 1910-

Gete was playing with his son in the yard. He set the boy down and smiled as he toddled over to him. "You are getting big!"

"Daddy!"

"Little Gete." Gete lifted him up and hugged him.

"Lake?"

"Not today." The lake where Gete had received his first kiss had become special to him and Tovol. They often took little Gete with them, and the boy loved the water.

"Fish?"

"Not today." Gete smiled.

Suddenly the Great Ring began making noise. Gete looked over and called for the nearest servant. "Take him away," he ordered.

"Daddy?" Little Gete questioned as he was taken away.

"Daddy will see you later," Gete called out. They hadn't been attacked in many centuries, but the fear was still there. Gete moved farther away, ready to run if it was needed. People came through, and he recognized the clothes. "Tok'ra."

It was two men, and they walked down the steps. They were each carrying large bags. One was a friendly elderly man. The other one looked a few years younger than Gete, though that didn't mean much with a Tok'ra. He also looked mean, and unfortunately, he was the one to speak. "Who is in charge?"

The voice and tone made Gete want to run the other way. He stepped closer. "That would be me. I am Lord Gete." He tried to sound lordy.

"I am Malek." He gestured to the elder man. "This is Aldwin."

"We've come to trade," Aldwin informed.

"We'll-we'll go to the main hall." Gete gestured to the nearest servants to set thing up.

"You are nervous." Malek sounded almost amused.

"No."

Malek looked over him in disbelief. "Very well. Show us to the main hall."

Gete left, and they followed. He felt like every move was being analyzed. He was glad when they finally reached the hall, and he could sit. "What do you wish to trade for?"

"We trade for the same thing every time we come. If you did any research, you would know that."

Gete suddenly felt very small. "Food."

"In exchange for cloth and gold."

"We have a variety of food that you can take." He had an idea of what they wanted, the basics. He was always interested in gold, but the cloth was special. He didn't know if they traded it from someone else or made it themselves, but it had a better weave than anything on his planet.

Malek took cloth out of his bag and set it down. He began rattling on about what they wanted. Aldwin left the table, leaving his bag with Malek. Aldwin went around to the wall, and he picked up a music box on a shelf. He opened it and listened. "This is nice music."

"Aldwin, pay attention," Malek ordered.

"You are the trader. I'm here to keep you company." Aldwin set the music box down and returned to the table.

Malek continued, and Gete did his best to keep up. They began haggling while Aldwin kept quiet. Gete was nervous, but he couldn't let that get a bad deal. His father would be hearing of this, and he couldn't disappoint him. He kept that in the back of his mind the entire time.

Finally, it was all settled. Everything was exchanged, and Gete felt relieved and tired.

"How much is the music box?" Aldwin asked while Malek packed.

"Two gold pieces."

Aldwin paid them.

"What is your host's name? If you do not mind the question." Gete wouldn't have had the nervous to ask Malek.

"Rorm, and that is Amb."

Malek glanced to Aldwin.

Gete wondered if Amb was nicer than Malek. "Hello hosts."

Rorm took control to give a reply. Amb remained hidden, and Malek went on his way to the Great Ring. Gete followed, and it was quiet. He felt nervous, wondering if his father would think he traded too much away. He watched them leave, and he quickly went to find his son. He found Tala was with them.

"How was the trade?" she asked.

"I think I did well, but my father may have another opinion."

Tala smiled and kissed him. "I think you did well."

Gete smiled. "Thank you."

-Six Years Later, 1916-

Tovol leaned in towards Gete while they watched three children play. "How did you get my sister to agree to not come."

"I told her they needed time with their uncle."

Tovol smiled. "Our children are beautiful."

Gete smiled. "They are. Ow!" Gete slapped his arm.

"What happened?"

"I was bit." Gete looked closer. "Some bug."

"Maybe you killed it."

"Maybe." Gete began itching.

"Leave it alone."

Gete sighed.

-Three Days Later-

"I hate bugs." Gete closed his eyes as his doctor examined him.

"Had the medicines helped?"

"He's gotten worse," Tala answered. "You need to help him." Her voice was firm. "Now he has patches."

"Patches?"

Gete showed his arm where he had bitten. It was covered in patches of red skin. "They are painful."

"Oh. I see." There was recognition in his voice.

"What is it?"

"You have crawled skin."

"I cannot."

"I apologize, my lord, but I believe-"

"People don't survive that," Gete said firmly as his wife began crying. "Therefore I cannot have it."

"My lord."

Gete turned to his wife. "Get rid of him, and find a doctor who knows what he is doing."

The next day, a new doctor was there. "You have crawled skin."

Gete felt less sure now.

"I can ease the pain, but that is about all I can do."

"I hate bugs."

"I apologize, my lord."

"How long do I have?"

"You may have a week, but you may have a month."

Gete felt cold. "Uh." He had no idea how to respond to that. Tala went to the bed and cuddled to him.

"I will prepare medicines for you, my lord." The doctor waited until he was dismissed before leaving.

Gete was quiet for several minutes. "We need to tell the children."

"We will."

"They need a guardian." He knew the traditions. He had to pick a male to take care of them. Otherwise, Tala would have to marry. He didn't trust who she might marry. A new husband might kill the children and make his own.

"One of your brothers?"

"They already have children."

"You don't trust them?"

"I don't know."

Tala kissed him.

"Tovol. He's the only choice." Gete shook his head, still unable to believe all of this. "He needs to be here."

"I'll send for him."

Gete settled as she left. She returned a few minutes and sat on the bed. "The children."

"We'll tell them soon."

A few minutes passed before Tovol rushed in. "Lord Gete." He was proper with Tala in the room.

Gete looked to his wife. "Can you check on the children while we talk?" He waited until she left before turning to Tovol. "Uh..."

"The first doctor was right." Tovol looked sick.

"Yes."

"Gete." He hurried over and hugged him. "No."

"I'm sorry I was bitten."

"It's my fault. I wanted to see them play."

"I would have been outside anyway."

Tovol cuddled to him.

"Tovol, I need you to take care of them."

"What?"

"Our children. I don't know what my brothers would do with them."

"They are your brothers."

"Men have killed nephews so that their children would inherit. Even if they cannot do that, they might send them away...make them disappear, but us." He touched the side of Tovol's face. "You'll take care of our children." He wiped away tears. "Tala will be returning soon. She shouldn't see you crying over me."

Tovol kissed him before nodding. "No more tears." He wiped them away.

Arraignments were made, and many people told Gete he was making the wrong choice, his father, each brother, each sister, and many others. He was firm in his decision though, but Tala took the backlash. They became convinced she had put the idea in Gete's head. Gete felt bad. No one said anything to her, but they had become colder towards her.

One day though, she was happy. She was practically dragging a strange woman into the bedroom. "Gete!" Another stranger, a male, was right behind them.

Tovol was there, and since his sister didn't knock, he was glad he was just sitting on a chair by the bed.

"A Tok'ra!" Tala exclaimed.

"I cannot trade now," Gete replied.

"No, they need a host." She practically shoved the Tok'ra at him.

The Tok'ra glanced to Tala before looking to Gete. "I am a Tok'ra. My name is Selmak. One of the Tok'ra, Aldwin, is in need of a new host."

"Aldwin? He was the nice one."

The male Tok'ra moved closer. "His host has lived all his years, and he does not have much time left."

Selmak gestured. "This is Martouf."

"He'll live then?" Tovol asked.

"It depends on his condition," Selmak answered before looking to Gete. "Do you want to be a host?"

Gete frowned in worry. "How does it...get in?"

"Aldwin will burrow through your mouth and wrap about your spinal cord." She watched Gete's expression get more and more worried. "The pain will be eased quickly, and it is well worth your life. The question is, do you want to be a host, to become a Tok'ra?"

"Our lives are dangerous," Martouf added. "However, your lifespan is doubled, you will have access to Aldwin's knowledge, constant companionship, and-"

"Doubled?" Gete asked.

"More than doubled, actually. Rorm, Aldwin's current host, is 198 years old." He watched Gete's eyes widen. "Do you wish to become a host?"

Gete looked from Tala to Tovol. What they wanted was clear. "Yes."

Tala hugged her husband. "Gete!"

"I will not be able to live here anymore. Tovol will still be taking the children."

"I know, but you'll live." She smiled as tears fell. "My husband. You'll be safe."

"Can you walk?" Selmak asked.

"Yes."

Gete stood up with Tovol's help. He and Tala helped Gete to the Great Ring.

"The travel might make you sick," Martouf informed as he helped Gete up the steps.

Gete gave a nod as he stepped through. He nearly fell once he reached the other side, but Martouf held him up. "Thank you."

"We are not too far away." Martouf let himself be leaned on, and they walked for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Does your wife know?"

"Know what?"

"About you and that other man."

Gete nearly fell again, but Selmak grabbed him. "What?" He was more worried about them knowing he liked men than the affair itself.

"I'm sorry. It's not my concern."

"How did you know?"

"Humans are easy to read," Selmak answered.

Gete was quiet after that, quietly worring. Soon he was brought below, and he was taken to Aldwin. Rorm was in control, and the man was more interested in reading. He looked up to Gete afterwards. "I wanted to finish the book before I died."

"Does it end well?"

"Yes. Now come."

Gete moved closer. "At least we met once before. You said 'hello.'"

Rorm smiled. "We did. Are you ready?"

"I am."

-Present-

Gete smiled. "As I knew he would, Tovol proved my family wrong. My family is still in charge of Ringkeeper. They still don't know truth about us."

"We're just friends when we visit," Amb added with a smile.

"What about your people?" Daniel asked.

"They do not care, so we can be honest."

Daniel smiled before looking to Freya. "Will we be hearing your story?"

"Another day." She saw he was disappointed. "Do not worry. We hare time."

to be continued...


	11. Communication Lost

(Thank you Roeskva, MuseUrania, and Dinopoodle for the reviews.

I was planning on part 11 being about Freya, but while she's the last story, there is a lot more to do with the tunnels. Needed to stretch it a bit more. She'll be in the next part.)

Part 11, Communication Lost

"Good afternoon," was Malek's voice.

Daniel blinked, realizing he overslept. "Afternoon."

"You've been sleeping a lot."

"Nothing else to read, and Freya hasn't told her story yet." They had been trapped below for three months. The tunnels no longer shook, but messages confirmed that the Goa'uld were still above them. They had no way of knowing if the other little groups had been forced to collapse the tunnels or not. Daniel felt he had more control over his dreams than his life, so he slept.

Jack and Teal'c entered the room. Jack looked to Daniel. "Daniel, you're finally awake?"

"Yes."

Jack looked to Malek. "Mal."

Malek kept his eyes from glowing in irritation. For whatever reason, Jack had started calling him "Mal" a few weeks ago. He refused to respond to it.

_Imagine how he feels, being trapped with all these Tok'ra_, Amb thought. _It'd be like if we were trapped with a bunch of Jacks._

_That would be the end of my sanity._

"Let's see Sam," Jack suggested. "She's unhappy. Martouf is trying to cheer her up. Maybe we can help." He'd prefer to help her without the Tok'ra, but he knew Martouf wouldn't leave her side.

Daniel nodded and followed. They found Sam in one of the small rooms, watching Iasis, who was swimming in circles. They heard the end of what Martouf was saying. "-swim out her frustration."

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"Iasis is upset," Sam answered.

"How can you tell?" Jack looked to the larva.

"Look how she's swimming."

Jack frowned, wishing he could see what she was seeing. "She circles all the time."

"These aren't playful loops."

"Iasis has become increasing upset since her last fish died," Martouf explained.

Tears fell as Sam shook her head. "I can't help her, and...I don't want our daughter born here."

"We still have four months."

"We can easily be down here that long. I-" She stopped when Iasis jumped in her lap and squealed. "Iasis, I love you too."

"Is Kel helping?"

"Jack, please, don't nickname my symbiote." Kela'an jolted to the nickname, and Sam didn't want to deal with an irritated jolting symbiote.

Iasis relaxed for a moment before squealing again.

"I'll get her food," Daniel offered as he went to the side of the room.

"You understand squeal now?" Jack asked. He looked to Teal'c, seeing the Jaffa was surprised as well, though few would notice.

"Only a few words."

Martouf grabbed some cloth and put it under Iasis. The symbiote could feed herself, but Sam took comfort in feeding her, and Iasis certainly wasn't going to reject the attention.

"What's it like to absorb food through skin?" Jack asked. "Can you taste it?"

Martouf looked up to him as Daniel gave Sam the food. "Lantash can taste it, but not really a taste. It's more identifying what it is. There is no pleasure in it."

"Another reason you guys take hosts."

Sam opened Iasis's food, finding mush inside. Normally, she's put it in the water with Iasis, but this time she rubbed some of it on the larva.

"Martouf, I was reading something Anise wrote, and I noticed your rank changed," Daniel said as he sat down. "You didn't mention being promoted."

Martouf looked up to him, and his expression seemed hesitant. "I...was not."

Daniel frowned. "Oh."

"What'd you do?" Jack asked, which earned him Teal'c's version of a look of disapproval.

"I'm having a daughter."

Jack frowned. "You got demoted because you wanted to be a father?"

"Yes."

"I remember when he was promoted," Sam said as she closed Iasis's food. The larva was relaxed, absorbing what was on her. "Well...it's Jolinar's memories."

Martouf gave a sad smile. "She and Rosha were very proud of me. That promotion took me fifty-six years. It took Lantash even longer." He saw Jack's frowning. "Lantash and I knew there would be consequences."

"You shouldn't be punished for having children."

"The laws are there for a reason. This is not a safe place to raise children, and we generally cannot have such close connections to those who are not Tok'ra." He paused briefly. "She is worth the demotion."

Feeling that Martouf preferred a change of topic, Daniel asked a question. "What are the Tok'ra going to do without the high council."

"Ren'al and Thoran are still part of the main group. By now, I am sure they have appointed new people to join them," Martouf replied.

"Temporarily," was Garshaw's voice as she entered the room. She didn't intend on being lost. "There are some Tok'ra who were on the high council before, but they had stepped down. I believe they would have been appointed." She looked to Jack, soon showing she heard more than just the last sentence. "It is not your place to question how we deal with the Tok'ra. You would not be pleased if we questioned how you disciplined those under your command."

Jack knew she was right, but he didn't agree with punishing someone on something so personal. He thought of his own son. Losing him was still painful, but he couldn't imagine being told he could never have him to begin with. "It seems so personal."

"With our way of life, the laws must be personal. Their punishment was light."

"Light?"

"They lost only one rank, they will be allowed to raise their child, and they did not have to spend any time in our brig."

Daniel saw that Martouf was uncomfortable with this conversation. "Jack, we can't argue their way with this."

"You agree with them?"

"No, but is this accomplishing anything?"

Jack sighed.

Garshaw passed him and looked to Sam. "Have we received anymore messages?"

"No. The last message was that they all moved again...new base, new outposts."

"How do you guys plan on finding the Tok'ra when we get out?" Jack asked.

"We have our ways."

"Is that vague enough?"

Garshaw eyeglowed as she looked towards him. Without a word, she walked away.

Daniel looked to Martouf afterwards. "How did you convince them to let you raise her?"

Martouf looked up to him. "If not for Iasis, I would have told them I was leaving-" He reached out and pet the larva. "-but I couldn't leave one daughter to raise another. Garshaw and Selmak helped me a great deal. Selmak wanted his granddaughter near, and Garshaw saw that not only would raising her not be anymore dangerous than raising Iasis, but it would be good for Iasis to have a human sister. What better way for her to learn about humans than to be raised with one?"

"What about her memories?" Jack asked.

"We don't know what portion of Egeria's memories Iasis has, perhaps all of them, but she has buried most of what she has. She may access them when she is older, but right now...,"

"Having someone else's memories is confusing enough as an adult," Sam added. She nodded her head, and Kela'an took over. "We love Egeria, but Iasis is not her. These memories are not the same as the ones we are born with. We can feel and learn from the memories of our ancestors, but there is not doubt that those memories are not ours. With Iasis being Egeria's clone, Egeria's memories are much stronger, and they feel like they belong to her. She needs to learn how to be Iasis first."

Jack watched as Kela'an began rubbing the larva. He briefly wondered if asking for Sam back would be rude. He was about to say something when Martouf stood up and left. The look of hurt on Kela'an's expression made him decide against asking. He gave a goodbye before leaving.

-Two Months Later-

Garshaw looked over the group. She had gathered everyone. "While we once received a message from the Tok'ra every few days, we have not picked up one in almost three months. The high council believes they have changed every frequency to avoid detection. The last time we did that was over a thousand years ago, after we believed Egeria had been killed."

"What exactly does that mean?" Jack asked, picking up that she hadn't given the full story.

"It's a good indication they've gone into hiding," Jacob continued. "If we get out of here, even if they pick up our signal, they probably won't trust it."

"Like an old GDO code," Daniel added.

"Exactly."

"Which is also why they are _our_ way of getting home," Jack added, referring to Earth. He knew their codes would be long out of date by now.

"What about the Jaffa rebellion?" Daniel asked, which made everyone look to Teal'c.

"I will contact them when we are on the surface," Teal'c stated, "but they may have moved."

"Teal'c's right," Jacob added. "I hate to admit it, but all it would take is to use the Ancient brain interlink device on one Tok'ra who knew where one free Jaffa was..."

"...who would lead them right to the rebellion," Jack added.

"The Jaffa would not hide," Teal'c added with pride and firmness.

"Maybe not, but they sure as hell won't be easy to find."

"We may be on our own for a while," Jacob added.

"Oh, that's just great," Jack replied, wishing he could be trapped with anyone but a bunch of Tok'ra.

"We could hope the Tok'ra would not be willing to give up on Iasis," Sam added.

"Oh, for crying out loud, they gave up on their own queen!" Jack stopped when he saw the looks of dismay and anger on the Tok'ra. "Look, I'm sorry, but if you guys were too afraid to hope that she's still alive, what reason do we have to think they won't be too afraid to hope that Iasis is still alive?"

Yosuuf took over, finishing Garshaw's speech. "We haven't detected any Goa'uld activity above, but that does not mean they are no longer out there. For now, we will remain in hiding."

"How long is 'for now?'" Jack asked.

"Until we are satisfied that they have given up."

He realized he wasn't going to get a direct answer.

To be continued...


	12. Freya

(While the rest of the story is listed as PG-13, this part is rated PG-15 for violence.

Thank you Roeskva and MuseUrania for the reviews.)

Part 12, Freya

-1956, Planet Kalath-

Freya wobbled down a hill on skates. "Ahhh!"

"Head for the tree!" her friend, Asha, called out as she followed.

The eighteen-year-old steered towards the tree and tried to slow herself down. Putting her hands out, she used the tree to stop. "Safe now." She continued skating, confident now that the road was level again.

Asha followed, also on skates. They reached a small restaurant and sat on chairs outside. "Are we hungry?"

"Yes. Help me up." Freya held her hand. She was less stable on skates than her friend, and she didn't mind the help. She carefully entered the building.

"Hello Freya," said a young man who was by the door.

"Hello Nathin."

He kissed her, which made her lose her balance. "I'm sorry." He helped stabilize her then looked at her, hoping for a kiss back.

"Goodbye Nathin." She skated to a table and plopped in a chair.

"You made him pout," Asha said as she picked up a menu.

"He's not the first." It was normal with her people to proclaim an "I like you" with a kiss.

"Maybe he'll kiss me on the way out."

"Would you kiss him back?"

"I don't know."

"You better decide before he kisses you." Freya looked up as the waiter came. She gave her order before setting her menu down. "How far are we skating?" she asked after Asha ordered.

"To the stargate. We can try to activate it."

"Does it do that?"

"My cousin's friend's brother's girlfriend's sister activated it once."

"That's just a rumor."

"Well, we know it works."

"Yes, when people come. It doesn't work the other way."

"Then how do those people leave?"

Freya shrugged. "Magic?"

"They don't have magic."

"Then how come their eyes glow?"

"Freya, eyes don't glow. That's just silly."

"My grandmother met a Tok'ra once, she said the voice was inhuman and the eyes glowed."

"Hmph."

-Half Hour Later-

Freya was skating around the stargate while Asha was pressing on the rock in front of it. "You'll just have to try all the combinations."

"There's millions." She didn't even know how many symbols to press.

Freya stopped and leaned against it. "Is the middle thing a button?"

"I don't know." Asha pressed it. "It doesn't do anything."

Freya pressed one of the glyphs and watched it glow. She kept pressing until they all glowed. "That's pretty."

Asha pressed the middle one again. "Nothing happened." She gestured, annoyed. "Now they are all glowing."

"They'll stop on their own."

A man approached. "It's my neighbor."

Freya looked up, and her eyebrows raised. "Lobert." Little hairs on her skin raised.

"Your a little old to be playing with the stargate."

"Go away," Asha said.

Freya gave her a look.

"You should be more respectful." Lobert suddenly sounded stern.

Asha saw the lights go out, and she began dialing again. Freya was quiet, and she was happy when Lobert left. "Asha, you don't tell the creepy man to go away."

"So you have a nice conversation."

"Until he goes away, yes."

Asha dialed again. "That didn't work."

"I want to go home."

"All right, but when I activate it, you'll be sorry you missed it."

"I don't want to go alone."

Asha looked to her, then sighed. "Fine."

On every work free day, Freya went over to Asha's house, and they went over to the stargate to try with the dialing. Freya usually ended up skating in circles while Asha did the work. They did this for months, but nothing came of it. One day, Asha wasn't answering. Freya knocked louder. "Ashaaaa!"

She sighed and went around the back door. "Asha, you better be awake!" She found the hidden key. "Asha, I'm coming in...with skates!" The floor was smooth, and she headed for the bedroom. She expected to find Asha sleeping, but the bed was already made. She next went to the kitchen. Opening the door, the place smelled of iron. "Asha?"

She skated towards the counter before slipping on something sticky and wet. She fell next to Asha, who was bloody and staring with lifeless eyes. Freya screamed and scrambled away. She kicked off her now bloody skates and ran outside, still screaming.

Neighbors came, and Freya pointed. "She's dead! Someone killed her! Someone killed her!"

Things became a blur. Freya was sat down somewhere, and people spoke all around her. Questions were asked, but she didn't notice. Suddenly she heard her name being yelled, and she looked up to see a man in a guard's uniform. "Freya, what happened?"

Freya relayed her story. She could barely speak. She felt cold and dirty. She wanted to wash the blood away. She wanted to unsee everything. Asha kept staring at her.

"Do you have family in the city?"

"My parents."

"You should stay with them tonight."

Freya nodded, and soon he was gone. She heard someone say they'd get her parents, but she didn't know who it was, and she soon forgot about it. She stared at Asha's house. Uniformed strangers went in. She could only imagine what they were doing inside.

"Freya?"

She looked up and saw her parents. "Mother."

"We're sorry to hear about Asha." Her mother sat next to her and put her arm around her. "We've come to take you home."

"Do you want to talk about it?" her father asked.

"No."

"It's up to you."

She was maneuvered up and to their vehicle, which was pulled by a large animal. It was slow and strong, so the ride took a while. Freya was quiet the entire time.

There were no leads, and Freya remained at her parents' house. She had to go home from time to time. Things to do. She was always quick, avoiding people. They were all suspects. She could see Asha's blood all over them, and she stayed away.

-Eight Months after Asha's Death, 1956-

Still in her parent's home, Freya woke up to strange noise. Soon her father ran into her room. "Freya!" his voice was lowered, frantic.

"Father what is-"

"Shush." He grabbed her out of her bed and dragged her off. "We are being attacked."

"By who?"

"I don't know." He hurried her down the basement. "I'm putting you behind the false wall." He opened it. "Stay put."

"Father."

"We love you, Freya." He gave her a quick hug. "Stay put." He closed the door.

Freya listened as her father moved things around, hiding the wall. He soon left, and she was left imagining what could be happening. The last time she had been put here, it was with her mother. She was young at the time, only four. She remembered being told about it more than the event itself. Warriors had come through the stargate. They caused death and destruction while looking for pretty people. People rarely spoke of it, and that was about all Freya knew.

She wished they had spoken about it. Right now, she didn't know what to expect. Sitting in virtual darkness, she could only imagine. It was quiet. She needed to do something. She looked around in her little room. She found some of her mother's clothes, and she changed into them. That helped to make her feel less vulnerable. She found food, water, more clothes, and blankets. That made her worry. How long would she be in here? She looked upward. Some light got in from above, but it wasn't enough to really do anything.

Freya ended up arranging the blankets and cuddling up in them. She laid there with a frantic mind. They day stretched. She only got up to use a bucket that would soon make the room stink. She couldn't hear anything from above, but the the light disappeared. She stared at where the light had been and began wondering if she had imagined it to begin with.

At some point, she woke up, though she didn't remember falling asleep. There was still no light. It continued on, and she began wondering if she slept through the day. It was quiet, and she wondered if it was quiet above as well. She closed her eyes, feeling helpless.

She woke up again, this time to sound from above. The light returned, and she felt safer. The noise though. She heard heavy footsteps walking above her. The floor was scraped, as though heavy furniture was moved. Freya suddenly worried someone would somehow follow the light towards her. She went under the covers and listened.

Her heart stopped as she heard the footsteps descending. Someone was coming into the basement. Her eyes were wide as she peeked out and stared at the wall, waiting for it to start moving. Voices sounded distant, speaking in a foreign language.

Her mind buzzed with ideas of what would happen if she were found. Her mind went to Asha, covered in blood. She mentally took her place.

Then the footsteps began moving up again. Freya released a breath and looked upward. Soon, they disappeared completely.

As the light began to waver, Freya drank some water. She looked at the food, afraid to touch it. Her stomach protested as she went back to her blankets. Soon, she let sleep take her.

She was hungrier when she woke up, and the food was too tempting. She found a knife and cut open a can. She found a spoon and ate something that seemed cold and slimy. She drank water and curled back up.

The light became strong again, and Freya froze as she heard footsteps. They went up to the door. "Freya?" It was her father's frantic voice. "Are you in there?"

"I'm here." She got up.

The wall opened, and her parents came at her with open arms. For the first time since she was a young girl, Freya was lifted off her feet. "What happened? What did they want?"

"We don't know. We never really know."

She was eased back upstairs, and she squinted in the light. She felt herself being maneuvered to a couch to sit. "What happened?"

"The warriors returned. We were all ordered to the town square. They kept us there while homes were checked. We were afraid they'd find you," her father explained.

"You stayed hidden very well," her mother added.

Her father nodded. "Some people were found. They were assigned to be taken, and their families were killed. They took a lot of others as well, mostly young people, like you."

"What's going to happen with them?" She opened her eyes and saw everything thrown all over the house.

"We don't know."

"When people are taken, we never see them again," her mother added. "We don't know what they do with them."

Freya covered her eyes again. She'd need time to get used to the light. "The city?"

"Minor damage. Mostly things being thrown about. I'm sure your house is a mess."

"I feel sick."

"Relax." Her mother urged her to lay down, which made Freya feel lazy. "The town will recover. We always do."

"Those people won't have a chance to recover." Freya thought of all the neighbors she had been avoiding. How many of them had been taken?

"It's best to forget about them."

"That's how we handle this?" Freya was disturbed. What if she had been taken? What if something had happened to her parents? Would they just be forgotten?

"It how we always handle it."

Within the next few months, Freya learned how true that was. There was a funeral for the missing, and people mourned. However, once the town looked back to normal, everyone had taken the same response. Friends and family were never mentioned, as if they had never existed. Freya's area had been hit the hardest, and once she moved back to her house, she found the neighborhood to be eerily quiet. Empty house after empty house.

Asha had been forgotten as well. It was as though people told themselves that she had disappeared with the others.

-A Year and a Half after that Invasion, 1958-

The street was filled with new neighbors. Freya got along with them quite well. It had been so long since anyone spoke of anything bad on this street, and it was almost easy to forget.

From her porch, Freya watched Lobert walking down the street. She got up and began heading for her door.

"It's my neighbor."

She sighed. "Hello Lobert. I have a name." She was tired of that greeting.

"Freya," he responded in a stern tone.

"Yes." Not bothering to look at him, she went into the house.

She stayed in for the rest of the day. She had her dinner, and soon it was time for bed. She fell asleep. During the night, she woke up thinking she heard something. Her mind went to the invasion, and she became alert. She got out of bed and began heading towards the basement.

Suddenly she felt a blow to the temple, and she was thrown back into a table. In the darkness she saw a figure moving closer. Before she could get up, a hand gripped at her throat. The voice was familiar. "It's my neighbor."

Tears fell in panic. With one hand on his wrist, she reached out with the other, searching for anything of use. She found something sturdy and began bashing at the figure. The grip released, and Freya scrambled. Before she could get up, she was kicked over. She tried to scream, but it came out hoarse. "Lobert, please."

"Asha begged too," he replied as he grabbed her throat again. He lifted her up and forcefully pushed her head against the floor, leaving her briefly dazed.

Freya kicked in panic as she saw a knife raised above her. She squirmed and cried. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain as the blade was driven into her stomach. She'd had screamed if fingers weren't on her throat. The knife was lifted, and her body jolted as she was stabbed again.

There was a small laugh, and Lobert's voice was filled with glee. "You should have been more respectful."

She watched him lift up, and the knife dropped near her. Her hands twitched as she tried to cover her wounds. He walked off, though she couldn't be sure if he left entirely or if he was still near, doing who knows what. She closed her eyes, afraid. _I will not be forgotten. I will not be forgotten._ She repeated them firmly in her mind, not letting herself go to sleep. _I will not be forgetten._

The agony went on, and Freya drifted more than she wanted to admit. Time was slow, but Freya suddenly became alert, and a stranger was looking at her. "L-Lo-" She was afraid he was still near, but if he wasn't, then she'd die naming her killer. "-bert." Her voice was barely a whisper though.

"My girl! My Freya!" It was her mother's voice.

"I've woken her," said the stranger, "but I cannot heal her with this." The stranger had an unusual device on his hand.

"L-Lo-"

"Freya," said her mother, "listen to me. This man is a Tok'ra."

"Lobert," Freya forced out.

Her mother frowned. "Lobert did this to you?"

Freya tried to nod.

"Tok'ra." The stranger sounded firm.

"Oh, yes. Freya, do you want to be a Tok'ra?"

Freya was baffled by that question. She wasn't an alien.

"She's asking if you wish to become a host," the stranger clarified upong seeing Freya's confusion. "You would be living our way of life. You must decide quickly. I cannot keep you conscious for much longer."

"Be host," she answered since it sounded like she'd live that way. She wouldn't be forgotten. Tears fell. "Not forgotten."

"We won't forget you," her mother added.

Freya suddenly felt herself being lifted up, and she cried out in pain.

"Keep her steady," said a strange female voice.

_She does sound funny. My grandmother was right_, Freya thought before losing conscious.

_We don't sound funny._

Freya frowned. "What?"

_We don't sound funny_, the voice repeated.

"Who are you?"

_I am Anise, your new symbiote...and we don't sound funny._

_Sorry?_

_That's better._

Freya sat up and saw the Tok'ra stranger that was in her house.

_That's Martouf._

Freya laid back down as Martouf approached. "You should rest."

_He is right_, Anise thought. _We nearly died together. I've healed your head and the stab wounds, but you have not recovered the blood you have lost._

Freya frowned in worry, but then she smiled. _I won't be forgotten._

_No. I will keep your memories alive so long as I live. Every host after you will learn to know and love you as I will, just as you will learn to learn to know and love every host before you. Now, rest. When you are ready, we will see Lobert._

_What?_ Freya quickly sat up.

"Freya?" Martouf asked, knowing he was missing some internal dialog.

"She mentioned Lobert."

"Yes, he is in our brig."

_He's to be executed_, Anise informed.

_For what?_

_For attacking you. _Anise felt Freya's confusion. _We have an agreement with your people. If one of them attacks one of us, we handle the punishment._

_If he hadn't stabbed me, I would have never become a Tok'ra._

_Yes, but now that you are my host, I am obligated to avenge you._

Freya quickly recognized it was more than that. Anise couldn't avenge the death of her previous host. Someone had to pay for something, and that someone would be Lobert. Freya, having lived, was less concerned about avenging herself. She was happy though, for Asha's sake.

-Present-

Freya frowned in guilt. "It's been a while since I thought of Asha."

"Time will do that," Malek replied.

"Do you still visit?" Daniel asked.

"Yes..." Her eyes moved downward. "In the last few years, Drack would always come with me."

Kela'an watched as Daniel moved closer. _I can't help her._

_She'll accept your help in time_, Sam thought. As usual, she was in control. That made it easier for Freya and for Martouf. "I think we ran out of stories."

Daniel frowned in disappointment. "Now, we really do just wait."

to be continued...


	13. Family

(Thank you for the reviews.

Roeskva, hehe, yeah, Freya was lucky. I imagine that's the case for most hosts. I imagine there are a lot of unlucky ones out there though.

MuseUrania, glad you liked it. :)

Akaylah, glad you enjoyed it.)

Part 13, Family

As he woke, Malek felt a hand moving over him. The Tok'ra smiled. "Gete."

"Maybe it's Aldwin."

"No, that is Gete."

Gete smiled and kissed him. His hand was over where the burn from the staff weapon once was. "My husband is healed."

"I should have left a scar."

"Why would you do that?" Gete frowned, though he knew Malek wasn't serious.

"It lead to our engagement."

Gete smiled. "Well, we always have your burned uniform to remind us." He leaned in and gave a gentle kiss. "We could hang it up on the wall."

Malek laughed. He knew it he'd not be allowed to keep it. The Tok'ra would take it, cut away the burns, and use what was left to make new clothes and accessories. He frowned as he was pulled up. "I don't want to get up."

"You have to," Gete replied before his smile changed to indicate his real motive.

"Hmm? Oh." Malek smiled. "We need to lay back down for that."

"Not while the Tau'ri are in the room." He pointed to Jack and Daniel.

"They are asleep."

"We made that assumption before, and Jack didn't look particular happy when he woke up." Gete replied as he pulled his husband out of the room. On the way, he accidentally stepped on someone else.

"Ow."

"Sorry, Martouf."

Martouf looked up with sleepy eyes and knitted eyebrows. Iasis had kept him up the night before, and he didn't like being woken up. He was quiet as they left. Unfortunately, as tired as he was, he couldn't get back to sleep. The room was quiet. Sitting up, he looked to his family. He smiled as he saw Iasis had sneaked out of her tank again. She was curled up around Sam's hand. He reached out towards his daughter before deciding against it.

"Hard to resist," was Jacob's soft voice, lowered so not to wake the others. He smiled as Martouf looked to him. "With my job, I wasn't home a lot. Lost count of how many times I came home, and they were already in bed. You want to wake them. They are happy at first, when you've been away. They start getting annoyed though, especially as they get older, smiling just to humor their father. You realize it's selfish."

"I don't think I like that story."

Jacob smiled. "Well, when they are old enough, they start having grandchildren. The cycle starts all over again." He looked to Iasis. "You are going to have many grandchildren."

"I don't think the high council would like hearing you say that. Many believe that when Iasis is old enough, she will no longer have a need for parents."

"You don't stop being a father."

"She is a symbiote, not a human."

His gave a long blink before Selmak took over. "Father. Mother. Queen. The term we use doesn't matter." She knew Martouf knew the truth, but the worry of being wrong was in the back of his mind. She gestured to the larva. "Most Tok'ra are interested in what she is, not who she is."

Lantash took over before glancing over. "The clone of our queen."

"Do you think so many would care how she was raised if she wasn't Egeria's clone? If she happened to be a larva queen who wanted to join us? She is the closest thing we have to Egeria herself, and they want to hold on to that. It's harder to do when she's calling two of Egeria's children 'mother' and 'father.'"

Lantash smiled before relaxing. _Lots of grandchildren._

_I want to go back to sleep_, Martouf thought. _We can dream about them._

Lantash closed his eyes. _We'll sleep. I'll help you get to sleep._

-Two Months Later-

_As the Tau'ri saying goes, I have good new and bad news._

Sam's eyes fluttered. _What? _She had been asleep.

_I have good new and bad news._

_What's the bad news?_ Sam sat up, expecting the worse.

_Our child is going to be born in the tunnels._

_What? _It took a second to register. _I'm in labor?_

_Your body has had two contractions. They were not strong enough to wake you._

Sam looked to the sleeping Martouf. She considered letting him sleep a little longer before realizing he'd not be happy with that choice. "Martouf."

Martouf turned and looked up to her. "Samantha." He smiled.

"Kela'an says it's time."

He was quickly up and alert. "Our baby?" He put a hand on her stomach.

"We need a healer."

"Aldwin," Martouf replied. He wasn't officially a healer anymore, but he had been, and he could be again. "I will find him." He kissed her forehead. "Don't have her without me."

_That would be a quick labor_, Kela'an thought.

Sam relaxed where she was. Soon, Martouf returned with Aldwin and her father. Aldwin went into healing mode, giving orders to Martouf to prepare one of the smaller rooms for her. He quickly began using the healing device to scan her. "You still have a ways to go." He helped her up to walk with her to the room.

Martouf came out of it, looking panicked as he saw them. "Why is she walking?"

"She can walk, Martouf. It's better for her to walk all she can." Aldwin grinned. "Malek is getting the others." He helped Sam to her new bed.

Sure enough, Malek came, followed by Jack, Daniel, and Tea'lc. He was carrying Iasis. "Where do I put her?"

"Next to me," Sam replied as she gestured to a spot so the side of her.

"Sister!" Iasis squealed as she was set down. She wanted to hop out of her tank, but she knew her parents needed to deal with the new baby now.

"How you feeling, Sam?" Jack asked.

"Feeling fine, right now." She frowned as she looked to Martouf. "I didn't want her born underground."

Martouf felt guilty, though he knew he couldn't do anything to help. "She'll see the sky as soon as she can."

"I'll hold you to that promise."

Martouf smiled before kissing her. Lantash took over to do the same. "We're here for you." He took her hand.

"Squeeze back when she squeezes," Jack said. He continued when Lantash looked to him. "It'll save your hand."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The day continued, and Sam found that Kela'an couldn't do much to keep her comfortable. Too much inference could hurt the child, but at least Kela'an was able to keep away some of the pain. To give Sam privacy, most of the people left for the birthing process itself.

Sam was tired when the baby was born, but she reached an arm out. Aldwin placed the baby on her stomach. "She's healthy." He smiled.

_Of course, she's healthy_, Kela'an thought. _I was monitoring her._

Sam found herself crying as she took a tiny hand. "She's beautiful." She watched as the baby was cleaned.

"Should I call the other back in?" Aldwin asked.

Sam nodded before looking to Martouf. He smiled and kissed her temple. "You did a great job."

"You did," Jacob agreed as he knelt down and touched his granddaughter. "I'm going to be here for you, kid." He had missed so much for his children and other grandchildren. It would be different with this one. "I'm going to spoil you. Just ask Iasis."

Martouf wrapped the baby up before kneeling by Sam so they could hold their daughter together.

"I want to touch her," Iasis squealed.

Jacob laughed as he picked the larva out of her tank. He set her down, and Iasis gently nipped one of the baby's hands.

"She bit her," Jack sounded slightly alarmed.

Jacob smiled. "She didn't bite her. She kissed her."

Daniel smiled. "Congratulations, Sam."

"Thank you."

"So, do we finally get to hear the kid's name?" Jack asked. He had wondered for a while, but Martouf had insisted on following a tradition of not announcing the name until after the baby was born.

Sam smiled. "Well, we agreed on an Earthy name." She lifted the baby from her lap, and Iasis came with since she was on the baby.

"That mean she's going to have your last name?"

"Yes."

Jack smiled.

"Of course, it helps that Martouf and Lantash don't have a last name," Daniel added. "Unless you count their planets."

Sam looked to her new daughter. "This is Malika Jolan Carter."

Malek's eyes widened. _Malika?_

_Your special_, Amb replied.

Jack frowned. "That's Earthy?"

"They are," Daniel informed. He was about to give the histories of the names, but Jack continued speaking.

"Oh, it just..." Jack glanced to Malek. "The names sound like..."

"They're supposed to," Martouf answered. He looked to Malek, who still looked surprised. "You were part of Sam and I getting together. You have been important to us ever since. We wanted to honor that." He glanced around. "I don't think we need to explain Jolinar's importance."

Malek smiled. "Malika... She's beautiful."

"Notice he says that after learning her name," Jacob teased.

"You are going to help us take care of her, right, Iasis?" Sam asked before yawning.

The symbiote looked up at her. "Yes."

Sam's eyelids felt heavy. "You can watch her now."

"Promise." Iasis felt older, feeling the job the older sister. It was a new feeling, and it excited her. She vaguely remembered that Egeria had siblings, but it was nothing like this. There was no love or care, and everyone was practically born independent. Malika was so helpless. Iasis gave her another gentle kiss and made a low squeal of sisterly love.

To be continued...

(Depending on what site you use, Malika is either Hungarian, meaning "industrious;" or Arabic, meaning "queen." I like the second meaning better, and I think that's the right one because more sites agree with that definition. Jolan is Hungarian, meaning "violet blossom" (or "purple flower"); Hungarian, short for Jólánka, meaning "good girl;" or isn't an actual name.) I prefer the first definition for that one.


	14. Waiting

(Thank you Roeskva and MuseUrania for your reviews.)

Part 14, Waiting

The family slept close together. It had been a couple weeks since Malika was born, and she had a place next to her mothers. Her fathers were next down the line, and on the other side of them was the tank that held her sister. She suddenly woke up to the sound of squealing. It was familiar, but the suddenness and harshness made her cry.

With the sudden cry of a child on either side of him, Martouf jumped as he awoke. He saw Sam picking up Malika while he turned to Iasis. "Iasis, relax." Seeing that she wasn't fully awake, he went to pick her up. As he made contact, she suddenly turned and bit him. He released and pulled away, feeling a sense of betrayal moving through him.

Iasis jumped out of the tank and looked at him before squeaking, "Dad?"

His hand stung, and it began bleeding once it was out of the water. Emotionally, the pain was worse.

_She doesn't realized what she did. _Lantash thought as he took over.

_I know. Comfort her._

Lantash picked her up. "Were you having a nightmare?" He held with the left hand, healing the right while keeping it out of her view. It had hurt him as it had Martouf, but he couldn't let her know.

"Sister crying," Iasis replied.

"I believe you woke her."

"Sorry."

"Your mothers are taking care of her. Tell me what is wrong."

"How long will we be down here?" Jack was irritable. He had woken up to find the council members missing. Everyone else was still asleep. It didn't take him long to find the missing people talking in one of the small tunnels.

"As long as it's needed," Garshaw answered.

"What exactly does that mean?" He was insanely tired of that answer.

Daniel and Teal'c were there as well, having followed Jack. The two had left Sam alone. She needed to sleep, and they figured this would simply turn into another argument. The last thing she needed was to hear more fighting.

"We don't have an exact answer," Jacob replied. "I'm sorry, Jack, but-" He stopped as he heard his grandchildren. He frowned and took a step closer.

"Their parents can handle them," Garshaw replied. "I'm sure they are awake now." The crying probably woke everyone else up.

"We've been here for almost eight months," Jack added. "How much longer will it be? There is no evidence that the Goa'uld are till up there."

"There is no evidence that they are not up there," Per'sus calmly replied. "We have enough supplies to last for the next sixteen months."

"Does that mean we are going to be down here that long?"

Before a reply could be made, there was the sound the footsteps. Lantash came, followed by Sam, carrying Malika, and Malek. "We have a problem." Lantash paused as he saw everyone looking towards him. "It's Iasis. She's beginning to access Egeria's memories."

Per'sus frowned. "That is bad?"

"She's accessing the...unpleasant memories."

"She's having nightmares," Sam added. "She's been having nightmares" Her eyes glanced down, feeling guilty for not knowing this sooner. "She was afraid to tell us, but they are getting worse."

"About what?" Per'sus asked, frowning in concern.

"Who's with her now?" Jacob asked as he looked down the hall, wanting to check on his granddaughter.

"Aldwin is with her," Sam replied. She sighed softly. "She's having nightmares about being in a tank."

"This is giving her nightmares?" Per'sus replied.

"Well, gee," Jack replied with a sarcastic tone as he looked towards the councilman. "Egeria spend the last years of her life in a tank in a small room. Now Iasis has spent the last several months in a tank in a small room. I wonder why she'd be having nightmares."

Per'sus looked mildly annoyed, which meant he was angry about the comment. "I know how she spent the last years of her life. I didn't realize it would give Iasis nightmares. Aside from the basics, knowing English, identifying us, we believed Egeria's memories were deeply buried. We didn't know if she'd ever access them."

"I can't keep my daughter in these conditions," Sam added.

"It's danger for us-"

"This is dangerous for her!" Sam snapped as she felt Kela'an's encouragement. Holding Malika with one hand, she gestured back with the other. "She knows it's dangerous, and that's part of why she hid her nightmares." Sam shook her head. "You know how memories effect a larva. She is young, and if she sits there, accessing every bad memory... Egeria was used by humans. How do you think Iasis will be affected if she starts remembering that above anything else?"

Jacob moved to comfort his daughter. He touched Malika lightly, feeling guilty for what he was about to say. "Iasis is our priority. If she's having nightmares, then we need to do something about it now."

Sam held Malika closer. Compared to her daughters, no one else mattered, but she knew she was demanding to put them both in danger for the sake of one.

"We can try sending one person above," Jacob continued.

"I'll go," Jack quickly volunteered, eager to get out of the tunnels.

Jacob shook his head. "We need someone who can use our technology quickly, to go above and check without being noticed, to report back here if it's clear."

"If it's not, then our volunteer will need to hide any evidance they were there." Garshaw walked to a near box and took out a small vial.

"What is that?" Jack asked.

"Poison. Once it is drunk, it kills the person and destroys the body."

"Why are you guys always so eager to kill yourselves?"

"If the volunteer cannot make it safely make it back, then this is the only option," Per'sus answered.

"I'll go." Malek stepped closer as he glanced to Lantash. "I'm the most expendable."

"No one is expendable." Jack was firm, not liking where this was going. "I'll go with you." He'd make sure Malek didn't kill himself.

"It would be too risky to allow more than one person to go," Garshaw said as she gave the vial to Malek.

Pocketing the poison, Malek headed back to the main room. He needed supplies.

_Aldwin won't like this_, Amb thought.

_He doesn't have a choice._

_Better us than him._

Malek smiled. _Yes._

Aldwin was holding Iasis as he watched Malek getting out crystals. "Where are you going?" He soon handed the larva over to Lantash.

Malek explained the mission as he got ready, not seeing the horror creeping on Aldwin's face. Getting all the crystals he needed, he approached Aldwin. He brushed hair behind his ear and wiped tears. "Someone has to go."

"I know the crystals better than anyone here. I can use them more quick-"

"That's why you cannot go. You are needed to ensure they don't run out of crystals, and you are the only healer."

Gete took over. "I lose everyone," he cried.

Malek hugged him. "We're all selfish."

"I'd die for you."

"We love you too."

Gete sniffled, holding them in a grip. "Be careful."

Malek nodded. He pulled away to kiss him. He made it linger, giving control to Amb halfway through. Amb smiled afterwards, feeling his skin tingle. He took their hands. "We will do our best." He gave another kiss. This one was short and gentle. He squeezed Gete's hands before heading away.

Gete and others followed, and everyone was quiet.

Amb reached the end of a room, and he looked at it for a moment. He glanced to the others before putting a crystal in. A tunnel formed, going upward. Everyone looked to the ceiling, as if the Goa'uld would somehow detect the movement and begin attacking. As Amb went inside he heard of squeal of good luck. He smiled and looked back. "Thank you, Iasis."

_I'm not usually good with these sort of missions_, Amb thought as he continued going up. He made another tunnel and continued upward. They were further down than normal, and it would be a long way. He stopped at one point, turning, so the tunnel wouldn't be straight. He closed the tunnel behind him, knowing this closing crystal was designed to stop as soon as it reached a larger room. _Don't forget which way I turned._

_I won't._

Amb continued, and it took a long time. He constantly checked a scanner, seeing how close he was to the surface. He made a few turns, memorizing which way he turned and how far away he was from the surface. He found himself greatly missing the rings, realizing how much he took them for granted. When it was time, he took out a new crystal. It created a smaller tunnel, one he'd have to crawl through.

He was quick in following, having to be careful of the occasional sharp point. Then he saw sky. _It's beautiful!_ He was used to living underground, but the sky was always something he didn't realize he was missing. He carefully peaked out. He felt his heart thump as he saw people in the distance.

_Jaffa._

Aldwin was quiet. Gete was hiding in retreat. Mentally, they were both quiet there as well. The tunnel Amb used had closed, and they stared at where it was. He could feel Lantash's hand on his shoulder, knowing they worried as well. He glanced to Freya, remembering how she had retreated from all, even Anise, when they lost their husband. _I hope you don't do that._

_Not from you, but I might from them._

For several minutes, it became quiet again.

_It's been too long_, Gete thought.

_The travel will take a long time._

_I know exactly how far down we are. I know how long it would take. He had enough time to travel there and back to us._

Aldwin glanced down. _Maybe he's going slowly._

Everyone was waiting. Some had taken to resting on the floor, but they were all there, watching the wall. At one point, Sam had to leave to change Malika's diaper.

_They will understand_, Kela'an thought, feeling Sam's guilt for leaving. _Just as they'd understand if Martouf left if Iasis needed something._

Sam powdered her daughter as she heard footsteps. "Hi Dad."

"It's tense in there. Even if Malek returns, it doesn't mean he'll have good news."

Sam smiled slightly, knowing he didn't leave because it was tense. He didn't want her to be alone. Martouf probably would have done the same if he didn't feel obligated to be near Aldwin and Gete. "Yeah."

"How is Kela'an doing?"

She retreated to give Kela'an control. The Tok'ra didn't look up as she put a new diaper on Malika. "Are you asking that due to the situation or because Anise is taking comfort from Daniel?" She looked to Jacob, who didn't reply. "This is not the time for petty jealousy."

"Seems like you've been avoiding them lately." He referred to Anise and Freya.

"I'm helping them to avoid me." She looked back to Mailka.

"If that's really all it is, then I would suggest you not do that," Selmak replied.

Kela'an looked up, surprised by the sudden change in control. "No?"

"I let Tur and Relek do that after blending with Jacob. We took too long to realize it was a mistake, and they were killed before...before we even had a chance to become friends again."

"I don't want to push them."

"I'm not saying to push. I mean...don't let them fade from your life."

Kela'an picked up Malika. "I'll talk to them."

Selmak smiled.

They quietly returned. Kela'an gave Sam control as they moved next to Lantash. Sam glanced to Freya as Kela'an thought about what to say when they spoke.

_Maybe we should have bothered her about Martouf as well_, Jacob thought, knowing Kela'an avoided him as well.

_One at a time._

_You just don't want him to point how that you avoided Sam for a long time._

_That was different._

Meanwhile, Aldwin sighed softly. "It's been too long."

"There could be a number of reasons for them to be delayed," Lantash said.

Aldwin frowned, not responding.

_The only reason they'd be delayed is if they were not returning_, Gete thought.

_Lantash is right._

_We didn't hold them long enough._

_No, we didn't._ Aldwin leaned slightly into Lantash, taking comfort from his presence. Within, it became quiet again.

Several minutes passed, and the wall finally began opening. Everyone became alert, raising weapons in case it wasn't Malek. Lantash discreetly put Iasis in his pocket before stepping back towards Sam.

_Amb. Amb. Amb. Amb. _Aldwin wanted to see him walking through, and when he did, Aldwin ran over. _Amb! _He pounced with a hug, accidentally knocking his husbands down. He kissed him before realizing that they were now blocking someone who was behind Amb. He looked up to see an old Jaffa. "Who are you?"

"That's Bra'tac," Amb answered.

Upon hearing this, Teal'c moved closer, smiling. "Bra'tac."

"Teal'c!" Bra'tac stepped over the couple with a large smile. "I knew! Others had given up, but I told them, 'If anyone is alive, it will be Teal'c and his team.'"

Jack smiled as he approached, thankful to know that there was at least one person who hadn't given up on them. "The Tok'ra thought there still might be danger above."

The smile disappeared. "Unfortunately, the Tok'ra would be correct." Bra'tac glanced around, curious to who everyone was. This wasn't the time for introductions. "Olokun was continually watching. Fortunately, Ba'al figured out why. They have been fighting over the planet since. We have been able to monitor their activities enough to know when they were too busy fighting each other to watch the planet. We must hurry if we are to leave now."

"We can reactivate the rings," Lantash said as the Tok'ra began rushing.

"I'll try to contact the others," Sam said as she went to the Tok'ra's radio. "Bra'tac, what can you tell us? Have you spoken to the other Tok'ra?"

He followed her while explaining. "They've gone into full retreat. They do not communicate with us or your planet. They planned to continually check this planet as we have."

"No evidence they are checking?" Jack asked.

"They wouldn't leave evidence," Sam replied.

"Neither would the Jaffa," Teal'c added, confident in his words.

Bra'tac nodded. "The Goa'uld and Stargate Command are the only ones who do." He saw Sam sending a message before turning back to Teal'c. "You give this man of 146 too much worry."

Yosuuf passed by, carrying a box of supplies. She smiled a bit. "I'm 161."

Bra'tac looked over and smiled. He knew the Tok'ra hosts had a natural longer lifespan than the Jaffa, but he also knew that, like the Jaffa, they usually didn't live long enough to see it. He gave a brief nod before she left to continue with whatever she was doing.

"Do you know how long until the Goa'uld come back?" Sam asked.

"Before Malek came to the surface, I was given a report." He gestured to a communications device. "Ba'al has lost the last battle. Olokun will be here before before evening."

"That gives us a few hours at most," Sam replied in thought as she began sending another message.

"It may be sooner," Bra'tac added. "I would have left if not for Malek." He smiled slightly in thought. "I finally met his host."

"Amb tends to be shy," Sam replied before looking to him. "The problem isn't us. It's the other groups that are hiding. No one's responded." She sighed softly. "If they came to the surface when no one was above, they'd have left to make sure the Goa'uld didn't detect any survivors."

"Any idea where they'd go?" Jack asked.

"That's the problem. With this situation, they'd try to be unpredictable."

"That would make it hard to predict," Daniel commented.

Sam nodded. "There could also be damage to the communications devices."

"How many groups were we split into?" Jack asked.

"Fifteen groups, each with eight to twelve Tok'ra."

Aldwin and Malek came and lifted the communications device. "It's time," Aldwin said.

Jack followed as they became moving. "What if they return their message now?"

"It's still turned on," Malek answered.

They went to the newly reactivated rings, where Martouf and Jacob were waiting with Malika and Iasis. Due to the supplies, everyone left took two trips to get back up. The tunnels were set to collapse, and they began moving towards the stargate. Few tracks were made, but Martouf gave the children to Sam to stay behind and make sure there was nothing left.

With Iasis being so light, it was easiest to carry them both. Sam vaguely wondered if her youngest would have memories of her sister resting on her.

Malek looked upward as they reached the stargate, half expecting the Goa'uld to appear. He looked to the silent device he was helping to hold.

Jack saw that supplies were already there, realizing that the Tok'ra made more than one trip while he was below. He looked back, thinking of all the Tok'ra still underground. "What about the others?"

"We can't stay," Sam answered, though she knew he hated that answer. She glanced up. "Olokun will detect us before we see any sign of him. If he does, he'll be more determined to get at those who are left."

"We'll come back when it is safe and try to communicate with them again," Yosuuf added as Bra'tac dialed.

They began moving through as Martouf caught up.

"Our base," Bra'tac explained as soon as they were on the other side. In the distance, several Jaffa could be seen.

Teal'c smiled at first, but the fact that they moved quickly concerned him. "You moved."

"Before they went into hiding, the Tok'ra gave warning that our previous position may have been compromised. They were right, but we had time to move everybody before the attack."

Teal'c found himself thankful, knowing it wouldn't have been easy for the Tok'ra to admit that information from one of them might have ultimately lead to an attack on the Rebel Jaffa.

Jack looked around, fully realizing that he was really out of those tunnels. Trapped for so long, but the move out was so rushed. He wanted to enjoy the moment, but even more, he wanted to get home. "You have a way to get to the SGC?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

Jack looked back to the Tok'ra. "You can stay with us."

"We would like to come with you and get a new GDO code," Per'sus replied. "After that, we need to find a new planet and rebuild our tunnels."

Jack couldn't imagine wanting to do that. He'd be happy if he never saw another blue crystal. "Didn't you just get out of the tunnels because of Iasis?"

"Without worrying about the Goa'uld being above us, we can make her room again, large with her pool. She'll have more than enough room to swim, and hopefully, that will not trigger her nightmares."

"You're not going to go into full retreat on us, are you?"

"No," Garshaw replied, "but we do need to retreat from what you would call active duty. Unless we find the others, it is impossible do continue as we did."

"Well, after a thousand years, I think you deserve a break," Daniel replied.

"You are not fighting the Goa'uld alone anymore," Bra'tac added with a proud smile. He didn't know the details, but he knew that the Tok'ra had taken a large blow. He knew the importance of biding your time, to wait until you make your move. "The Goa'uld will think they have destroyed you, but you will be rebuilding." He gestured to Iasis.

"Maybe find the others," Sam added, already trying to figure out how she might go about doing that.

"First, the SGC," Jack said before smiling. "Teal'c, I imagine you'll want to return here soon. Socialize...however the Jaffa socialize." He still wasn't entirely sure.

Daniel dialed, and Bra'tac moved forward since he'd be sending in the code. Jacob was quickly going up the steps as he looked to Sam. "Which one of us should call Mark and tell him we're not dead?"

Sam smiled at his eagerness. "You can do it."

to be continued...


	15. Talking and Searching

(Roeskva, thanks for all the reviews. Glad that the chapter was tense. ::grins::

MuseUrania, glad to be tricky. :) Thank you for all your reviews.

Lanthir1, thank you. The fiction rescue and real rescue happening on the same day was a coincidence.)

Part 15, Talking and Searching

_You can do it_, Sam thought.

Kela'an slowly approached Freya, who was in the mess hall. The Tok'ra was nervous.

_She was your wife. You can talk to her._

Kela'an nodded as she took more steps. It wasn't long before Freya looked up to her. By the sudden eye flash, Kela'an knew she gave Anise control without warning. "Anise. Freya."

"Kela'an."

Kela'an sat across from her. "We were friends for years. I don't want to lose that."

"You believe we have?"

"We avoid each other."

Anise nodded slightly. "We have."

"We need to be honest with each other. I need to stop retreating whenever you are near, and you..."

"Yes?"

"I've seen you pull away from Daniel when you realize I'm there. I'm the one who told you to seek his comfort."

_I told you, she noticed_, Freya thought.

Anise's expression changed to something of a mix. "Sometimes it feels like...more."

"I want you to be happy."

"Drack only died nine months ago."

"He would want you to be happy."

"It's too soon."

"Then wait until you are ready. I'm already in a relationship."

"With someone who tolerates you, and another who avoids you."

Kela'an looked down. "That will change."

Anise took her hands, which made her look up. "I believe you are right. Some day, they will ask you to marry them-" She smiled. "-or you'll feel comfortable enough to ask them."

"Some day."

Anise gave a nod as Freya was given control. "I will try to...avoid you less. I enjoyed our friendship before we fell in love, and I would not want to lose it. It... It still hurts."

_It always will if we never deal with this_, Anise thought.

_I know._ She felt her hand squeezed slightly. "We still love you, Kela'an. That's never going to change." She pulled her hands away and pulled out their wedding ribbon.

Kela'an was surprised to see she hadn't done anything with it. One knot would signify that the marriage ended in one death.

_If she hasn't tied it, does that mean you are still married to her? _Sam asked.

_Technically._

"I've tried tying it several times," Freya said. "I just...couldn't."

"I can help you." Kela'an smiled. "It's a beautiful ribbon." She hadn't seen it in a while.

Freya smiled as she took one end. "Thank you. I spent hours picking it out."

They held the ribbon briefly before tying it together.

"Goodbye, Drack," Freya said quietly as it tiigtened.

Meanwhile, Jacob was calling his son. He was felt almost axious and excited as the phone rang.

_He won't be mad_, Selmak assured. _He would have no reason to be mad. You called him as soon as you could._

There was an answer. "Hello?"

"Mark, I'm alive!"

"Dad?"

"Yes, it's me." Jacob was grinning.

"Dad!" Mark's voice cracked. He had been sure he'd never hear from his family again. "Sam?"

"She's good. She's-" Jacob was about to mention that she had her baby before realizing that he never learned she was pregnant.

"What?" Mark asked in worry.

"We had to hide for a while, but we're fine."

"What were you going to say about Sam?"

Jacob smiled. "You're an uncle."

Mark's voice became distance, clearly talking to someone over at his house. "They're alive, and I'm an uncle." His voice returned. "Do I have a niece or nephew?"

"A niece. Malika Jolan."

"She sounds beautiful. Can I talk to Sam?"

"She's..." Jacob trailed when he saw her coming in the room. "She's here."

Sam smiled and walked over. "Hi Mark," she said upon being given the phone.

"Sam."

"We're fine."

"I want pictures."

Sam frowned slightly before realizing that their father must have mentioned Malika. "I have a few."

"Do I get to see you?"

"Not yet." The Tok'ra needed to resettle. More importantly, Iasis needed her right now. She heard her brother sniffle. "We'll try to see you as soon as we can."

"Soon."

"I promise."

"Tell me about my niece."

Sam smiled.

Daniel was in his office when Freya approached. She smiled a bit. "Did they keep it for you?"

"They did." He smiled.

"I'm glad you were trapped with us." She laughed lightly. "I mean, I... You helped us."

Daniel was glad to hear that. "That's good to hear."

"I don't know if I can start a new relationship so soon..." She watched him nod. "...but we do like you."

Daniel smiled. "I understand." He knew their pain all too well. He took her hands when he saw tears.

She gave a small smile before giving him a quick kiss. "I hope we can see you soon."

"I'll take every Tok'ra mission I can."

Freya laughed. "I'll volunteer for all the Earth missions."

Aldwin had been on Earth before, so he wasn't sure how he missed the box before. He approached the glass with a smile. _Are those what I think they are?_

_I believe so._

_We need to get them out._

_All of them?_

_Yes._

_We are going to need help._

After talking to Mark, Kela'an had more to say, this time to Martouf.

_When I first met them, Lantash was in control less because they thought it'd make me more comfortable around them_, Sam thought. _They would expect you to do the same._

_You didn't walk away whenever Lantash took control, and I just need to say what I need to say._

_I'll support you._

Sam found Martouf rocking Malika. Iasis was near, sleeping in a large bowl. "Martouf."

He smiled. "Samantha."

She smiled briefly as she approached. "Kela'an would like to talk to you."

He looked uncomfortable. "Kela'an." He put their daughter down before approaching.

_Freya was easier_, Kela'an thought before taking control. "Martouf..." The Tok'ra sighed softly. "I'm not replacing her."

His expression showed that he was expecting this.

"She's here now as much as she was before. You'd be able to feel her if we were alone... I can feel her."

He glanced down. "When I first met Samantha, I wanted her to blend so that something of Jolinar would still be near me, to always know their memories live with her."

"They still do."

"I fell in love with her. I wanted her to blend so that she could live longer...with me." He smiled a bit. "Though I would never make the mistake of asking her again." He remembered her reaction to the idea of blending with Selmak. He looked up to Kela'an. "I thought I had gotten past the issue that Jolinar was part of her, but then she blended, you came...and she disappeared."

"She's still here. I'm... I'm just part of the equation now."

Martouf smiled.

"I know it took you time with Samantha, to love another human. I know it'll take you time to love another symbiote."

"I do love you. I'm just...not used to loving you yet."

Kela'an smiled. "I love you."

He was quiet for a moment before touching Sam's hair. "She's part of you now. Do you see her memories as Samantha does?"

"Yes."

"You will take care of all their memories?"

Kela'an knew his concern. With Jolinar's memories came Rosha's, Kara's, and every host before them. "Like they were my own hosts." She gave control to Sam, who kissed Martouf. "They all live with us." She smiled as he touched her hair again.

"How does it feel?" There was a touch of concern in his voice.

"I see more now than I did before, but it's not confusing. I don't know how Kela'an does it, but she helps."

Martouf bowed his head, and Lantash took over. He gave his Lantash smile. "It's our job to help." He moved his hand down to touch the back of her neck. "We worried she was being replaced. We were wrong."

"She understands."

He moved to kiss her when Malika started crying. Lantash smiled as this woke up Iasis, who started squealing for attention. "Which one do you want?"

"Mailka might be hungry, and you can't feed her."

Lantash nodded as they went to their children.

As far as Jack was concerned, the Tok'ra weren't staying nearly long enough.

"They need to rebuild," Teal'c said as they headed to the gate room.

"Trapped in those tunnels for that long, and they want to run back to those tunnels."

Daniel smiled. "It's their home, and they won't be trapped this time." He entered the room, seeing that the gate was already in the process of being dialed.

"Any idea when we'll be seeing you again?" Jack asked.

"Can't say for sure," Jacob replied.

"Anything you want to bring with you? I know you lost some Earth reminders at home."

"I think Aldwin took care of that." Jacob gestured to the other Tok'ra. "You're going to have to restock the vending machine."

Jack looked to the bag the Tok'ra was holding, realizing he was carrying an assortment of mostly candy.

"First day as our new official healer," Jacob added, "and he buys junk food for us."

"If you do not like it, I'll eat it myself," Aldwin replied. "Besides it's not all what you would call junk. I made sure to get plenty of pretzels for Lantash."

"Thank you," Lantash replied. He was helping to hold some Tok'ra supplies. Iasis was peaking out from the large front pocket on his chest.

The gate wooshed with action, and the Tok'ra began going up the ramp. Most were eager to get to their new home. Malek went through first, ready to get the supplies as they were put through.

"Goodbye Sam," Jack said. "Don't let them go into hiding on us."

Sam smiled. "We won't."

"I hope you'll get the people trapped underground."

"We were able to make arrangements with the Jaffa, thanks to Bra'tac."

"Unfortunately, they are currently in a better position to observe the Goa'uld," Lantash added. He hated feeling so blind to the movements of the Goa'uld. "They will be able to tell us when it's safe to search for our people."

"Good luck."

"Thank you." He took a step back, wanting to get through the gate. He waited as Sam gave her goodbyes before they went up.

Jack watched them leave and the wormhole close.

"I'm going to miss them," Daniel said as he looked to where they had disappeared.

"She'll be back," Jack replied. "She has to visit her brother."

"I believe he was referring to Freya and Anise," Teal'c explained.

"Oh." He followed him out of the room. "Aren't they still in mourning?"

Daniel smiled. "I'll wait."

"It might be a while."

"I know."

It wasn't long before they settled on a new planet. Aldwin grew new tunnels that were pathetically small. They didn't even have enough Tok'ra to fill the size of a small outpost. Iasis was given a wide pool that went from ankle deep to waste deep for the others. They had their home back, but they didn't have their people. No one went to bed happy.

As soon as it was possible, Malek and Aldwin were sent back to try to contact the others. A young rebel Jaffa, one they had not met before, went with them. He waited by the steps of the stargate while they sent a message to the others.

"I wish it wasn't just us," Aldwin said as he settled.

"The others wish to be here as well, but this is not the safest place."

The Jaffa, Ga'tek, looked to the two. "I will know if the Goa'uld are coming."

"It's still not the safest place," Malek replied. "Something could happen. Another Goa'uld could get involved. Your operative may find he is unable to contact the Jaffa." He began playing with Aldwin's hair, not noticing the Jaffa began looking uncomfortable.

Aldwin smiled when he felt it tugged. "Pulling the hair will not make it grow out."

"You cut it yesterday. I liked the way it was."

"Sorry, but Gete likes it short."

Malek kissed the back of his neck before suddenly becoming alert. "Did you hear something?" He went to the radio and began making adjustments. "This is Malek. Can you hear me?"

Aldwin watched, feeling tense as silence followed. The only one making any noise was the Jaffa, who was quietly communicating to other Jaffa with his device.

The radio sounded with static, then a voice. _"Kal kek m'al?_"

"Korra!" Aldwin recognized the voice and couldn't contain himself. He touched the radio as it allow him to reach his fellow Tok'ra. He knew the other was waiting for the right password. "_Quellshak prim._ This is Aldwin. The surface is safe. How many of you are there?"

There was a brief silence that was aggravating. Korra was not a high ranking Tok'ra, and he was likely relaying the information to the person who was. His voice finally returned. "There are ten of us. The surface is secure?"

"The Goa'uld are still in battle," Ga'tek answered when they looked at him.

"For now," Malek answered, "but you must hurry."

"How many other groups are safe?"

"As of now, you are the only ones to respond."

"Iasis?"

"She was with us. She is safe."

"We are coming."

Aldwin hugged Malek, who was trying to stay serious through this mission. He was clearly happy though, and he put an arm around Aldwin.

Time was slow, and before Korra's group arrived at the surface, two other groups responded. It was, however, too quiet after that. One hundred twenty-four were still missing.

"Their communications devices might be out," Malek said. "They'll have to come up when they run out of food."

Out in the distance, Tok'ra came out from under the ground. It was Korra's group, and they could soon see who was in charge.

"Delek," Malek said as he looked to Ga'tek, knowing the Jaffa would probably wonder which one was in charge.

Like Malek, Delek held a serious expression. Most of the others were too happy to have visible proof that they weren't the only survivor to care. Malek and Aldwin were hugged by each. Delek quickly asked for the latest information.

They waited for the others, which included Thoran, another member of the council. There was no other reply by the time Ga'tek told them it was no longer safe. They had to leave.

"We'll keep searching," Malek promised when they arrived at the tunnels.

Aldwin gave a sad nod. "I need to grow more tunnels for them."

"I'll help you."

The others came to find the newcomers. While they were disappointed at the small number found, they were happy that anyone was found. No one really wanted to celebrate.

After greeting everyone, Martouf and Sam went back to their quarters. She noticed that he was uneasy. "The Tok'ra will survive." She sat down on the bed.

He clearly wasn't so sure he sat down and pulled her closer. "We love you."

Sam closed her eyes and she took one of his hands. "We love you too."

The End


End file.
